The small foam pieces used to protect fragile goods in boxes could soon power your phone thanks to a battery breakthrough . Researchers have developed a way of turning the so-called 'packing peanuts ' into carbon , which can then be added to the types of lithium batteries used in everyday gadgets . During tests the packing peanut-based batteries could store 15 per cent more power than current technology - and they even outperformed similar batteries made of graphite . Scroll down for video . Researchers have developed a way of turning so-called 'packing peanuts ' ( pictured ) into carbon , which can then be added to the kinds of lithium batteries in everyday gadgets . During tests the packing peanut-based batteries could store around 15 % more power than current technology . This breakthrough was made by Dr Vilas Pol , Dr Vinodkumar Etacheri and their colleagues at Purdue University . They presented their findings at the National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society ( ACS ) . The researchers began by baking the packing peanuts at around 600°C ( 1,100°F ) to create blocks of black carbon . These blocks were then flattened into microsheets and nanoparticles , which in turn were added as anodes to lithium batteries . These sheets had a lithium-ion storage capacity of 420 mAh per gram . By comparison , an iPhone 6 battery has a total storage capacity of 1810mAh and weighs 0.9oz ( 28 grams ) , while the theoretical capacity of graphite is 372 mAh/g . This means the packing peanut technology could make batteries smaller and lighter , yet more powerful . Typically researchers make similar microsheets using temperatures as high as 2,200°C ( 4,100°F ) , meaning Dr Pol 's method uses less energy and is more environmentally friendly . Dr Pol got the idea to turn these peanuts into nanoparticles and microsheets when he was taking delivery of new equipment for his lab . ' I looked at the packing peanuts and thought that while we are exploring `` green '' technologies , we should not be harming the environment by throwing them away , ' he said . The researchers began by baking the packing peanuts at around 600°C ( 1,100°F ) to create blocks of black carbon . These blocks were then flattened into microsheets and nanoparticles , which in turn were added as anodes to lithium batteries . These sheets had a lithium-ion storage capacity of 420 mAh per gram . By comparison , an iPhone 6 battery has a total storage capacity of 1810mAh and weighs 0.9oz ( 28 grams ) , while the theoretical capacity of graphite is 372 mAh/g . This means the packing peanut technology could make batteries smaller and lighter , yet more powerful . Typically researchers make similar microsheets using temperatures as high as 2,200°C ( 4,100°F ) , meaning Dr Pol 's method uses less energy and is more environmentally friendly . The researchers at Purdue University began by baking the packing peanuts at around 600°C ( 1,100°F ) to create blocks of black carbon . These blocks were then flattened into microsheets ( pictured ) and nanoparticles , which in turn were added as anodes to lithium batteries . Drs Pol and Etacheri then tested the microsheets and nanoparticles as anodes in rechargeable lithium ion batteries . The lithium ions move between the electrodes during charging and discharging and the researchers said their anode works so well 'it outperforms commercial [ anodes ] , with a storage capacity higher than graphite , a typical anode material . ' And although the higher temperatures used to create other sheets create a more layered arrangement of carbon atoms to maximise performance , Dr Pol 's less-ordered materials are said to have a 15 per cent higher electrical storage capacity . Typically researchers make similar microsheets using temperatures as high as 2,200°C ( 4,100°F ) , which creates more structured sheets . By comparison , the 'disordered crystal structure ' of Purdue University 's sheets ( shown ) lets them store more lithium ions than the theoretical limit - making them more powerful . Dr Pol hopes his group 's new , scalable process could have carbon microsheets and nanoparticles ready for commercial use in batteries ( pictured ) within two years . ' [ The batteries ] have disordered , porous structures , ' said Dr Etacheri . 'The disordered crystal structure lets them store more lithium ions than the theoretical limit , and their porous microstructure lets the lithium ions quickly diffuse into the microsheets and creates more surface area for electrochemical interactions . ' Dr Pol hopes his group 's new , scalable process could have carbon microsheets and nanoparticles ready for commercial use in batteries within two years .
The discovery was made by Dr Vilas Pol and at Purdue University . Packing peanuts are the small foam pieces used in packaging . Dr Pol 's team baked the peanuts at 1,100°C ( 600°F ) to create carbon blocks . These blocks were flattened to make microsheets and nanoparticles . Such sheets and particles can then be added as anodes in lithium batteries .