<p>Process engineer Bryant Polzin fills an 18650 lithium-ion battery cell with electrolyte using semi-automated equipment on Jan. 14, 2011, at Argonne's Cell Fabrication Facility in Lemont, Ill. It's been nearly a quarter of a century since the last big jump in battery technology, which led to the lithium ion. To make the next breakthrough in battery technology, researchers have to master complex chemistry, expensive manufacturing, detailed engineering, a variety of di…

January 23, 2013