In an interesting development in the world of batteries, researchers have discovered and demonstrated a way to make extremely efficient carbon electrodes by heating up the fibers of hemp in a two-step method.

The resulting carbon electrodes hold as much energy as the super-material graphene, are more durable in extreme temperatures, and come at a much lower cost — pretty much the ideal material to make batteries out of.

Graphene has been the up-and-coming super-material for some time now, and many companies are trying to build… well… anything and everything out of the carbon-based material. Unfortunately, it’s proving to be expensive and difficult to mass-produce, but this new hemp method is capable of bypassing both of these issues to a large degree.

Batteries, supercapacitors and more can be charged almost instantly when made from these carbon materials, with minute degradation in power overtime. And while many sectors (think electric cars) are very interested in this kind of technology, its potential use in photography gear is broad, to put it mildly.

Plus, while graphene is still a ways away, hemp-powered batteries might be here sooner than you think: a small Canadian company is already working on scaling up hemp electrode production, and recent changes in US law aren’t hurting either…

(via Engadget)

Image credits: Hemp Field by Greg Jordan