We all love our smart phones, but do we love their battery life? When you get a new phone, you spend countless hours trying out its new features and all the fun things you can do with it. In the beginning, the battery life is great – you can go a full day or so without charging. But as time goes on, and more apps are installed, the battery life begins to decline, until you become a wall hugger.

Smart phone companies have capitalized on this by offering car chargers, portable batteries, cases with a built in battery extender and much more. While consumers would much rather see a phone come out with improved battery power, we give into these accessories because they can be more cost-efficient than upgrading. However, there just might be an answer to these battery life woes.

Researchers at Stanford University are proposing that they’ve designed a pure lithium anode that could drastically extend cell phone battery life. Most smart phones out there that boast a Lithium-Ion battery, but they do not utilized the lithium to its full extent. Lithium is has the highest energy density which is why it’s used is smart phone batteries. It is also lightweight, allowing smart phones to remain relatively light and compact. Producing a pure lithium anode would allow batteries to get the maximum energy and potential, however, when charged, lithium ions expand. This expansion is so strong that it could potentially cause physical damage to the phone. Another problem is that recharging abilities decrease dramatically after some charges.

The Stanford researchers have created a pure lithium anode that does not expand and remains efficiently rechargeable. With further advancements, this technology can be downsized, enabling smaller batteries with excellent performance. The downfall is that this battery has a 99% efficiency rating, just shy of the 99.9% standard. While this sounds good in theory, we may have to wait a bit longer for the super battery.

Would you trade in your current smart phone for one that promoted a battery life three times longer than the average? Would a high price tag make you question the purchase or do you think it would be worth it? We want to hear from you – connect with us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Tags: best cell phone battery life, cell phone battery life, extend cell phone battery life