Researchers working on aqueous li-ion batteries

However, by playing around with the aqueous solution, a group of scientists found that the pH of the liquid didn't matter much to the effectiveness of the battery. They tried removing as much oxygen as possible from the battery and readjusting the pH, and found that, in combination with carbon-coated electrodes, the batteries' capacity retention improved to 90 percent after a thousand cycles.

So will notebook batteries soon last forever, impervious to trifles like charge cycles? Unlikely— the battery with the impressive retention only provided about 10 minutes of power. Another similar battery that lasted eight hours at low current output retained 85 percent capacity after only 50 cycles.