Could dipping electrodes in a secret sauce improve supercapacitor and battery endurance and power? Could coating cell internals be the flavor of the month? These recipes for better batteries may improve things at a better than normal rate, if California researchers have anything to say about it. Working with his compatriot Dr. Jaephil Cho in South Korean, Dr. Cui of Stanford University has been a leader in developing improved battery technology, even developing a painted paper battery. In an appearance at the 2009 Electric Aircraft Symposium, Cui explained a basic truth of battery development – that improvements generally created about eight percent greater power or endurance in cells every year, leading to a doubling of battery capabilities every seven and one-half years. He aims to improve that rate of change in batteries and ultracapacitors. Although ultracapacitors are able to charge and discharge rapidly, they are only about one-tenth as energy dense as batteries of equivalent mass. Cui and colleague Zhenan Bao …