The boffins have developed a nanoparticle battery electrode whose egg-like design is built to last. At the centre is a shape-changing aluminium "yolk" in a titanium dioxide cell, that can go through charging cycles without degrading like the graphite electrodes in conventional power packs.

This improves the overall longevity of the battery, but also its capacity and maximum power. They hold out for longer between charges, and don't get scrambled by heavy use.

The manufacturing technique is simple, and these materials are relatively easy to find. Even with super-fast charging, a test unit had just over half its capacity after 500 cycles.

If the team gets its tech into a shipping product, you could see a wave of hardware that reduces many energy-related woes and could egg on phone designers.