Australian Scientists Demonstrate World's First Quantum Battery Proof of Concept, Achieving Full Charge-Store-Discharge Cycle
Researchers at CSIRO, the University of Melbourne, and RMIT have built and tested a quantum battery prototype that completed a full charge-store-discharge cycle for the first time, demonstrating a counterintuitive property where charging speed increases with battery size.
A team of Australian researchers has built and tested what they describe as the world’s first proof-of-concept quantum battery, a device that completed a full charge-store-discharge cycle using quantum mechanical principles rather than chemical reactions. The results were published on March 18 in Light: Science & Applications, a Nature portfolio journal.
The project was led by Dr. James Quach, Quantum Science and Technologies Science Leader at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and RMIT University. The research team included Kieran Hymas, Jack B. Muir, Daniel Tibben, Joel van Embden, Tadahiko Hirai, Christopher J. Dunn, Daniel E. Gomez, James A. Hutchison, Trevor A. Smith, and James Q. Quach.
How a Quantum Battery Works
Unlike conventional batteries, which store energy through chemical reactions, the quantum battery exploits two fundamental quantum properties: superposition and entanglement. The device consists of a multi-layered organic microcavity that is wirelessly charged using a laser.
The charging mechanism relies on an effect called “super absorption,” in which the system absorbs light collectively rather than molecule by molecule. This collective quantum behavior produces a counterintuitive scaling property: as the battery grows larger, it charges faster. In a conventional battery, doubling the size roughly doubles the charging time. In the quantum battery, doubling the number of molecules reduces charging time to slightly more than half the original duration, following a formula where charging time scales as 1/\u221AN, with N representing the number of molecules.
“Quantum batteries charge faster as they get larger. Today’s batteries don’t function like that,” Dr. Quach said in a CSIRO statement.
Performance and Measurements
The prototype retained stored energy for approximately six orders of magnitude longer than its charging duration, according to the published results. Testing was conducted at room temperature in the University of Melbourne’s Ultrafast Laser Laboratory within the School of Chemistry, using dual femtosecond laser amplifiers and tunable optical parametric amplifiers to characterize the device’s behavior through advanced spectroscopy techniques.
The research represents an advance over a 2022 prototype by the same group that demonstrated exotic charging behavior using a similar organic microcavity device. The current iteration adds the ability to extract electrical current, completing the full charge-store-discharge cycle for the first time.
Significant Limitations Remain
Despite the milestone, the technology faces substantial obstacles before any practical application. The prototype’s energy capacity is measured in several billion electron-volts, a quantity far too small to power consumer electronics. Its charge retention is measured in nanoseconds, orders of magnitude below what would be needed for devices such as smartphones or electric vehicles.
“The next step right now for quantum batteries is extending their energy storage time. If we can overcome that hurdle, we’d be that bit closer to commercially viable quantum batteries,” Dr. Quach said.
Researchers have identified quantum computing infrastructure as a more realistic near-term application than consumer electronics, given that quantum processors already operate at scales where the battery’s current energy output could be relevant. Hybrid designs that combine fast quantum charging with conventional storage duration have also been proposed as a potential development path.
Commercialization Outlook
CSIRO has stated it is actively seeking development partners to pursue a commercially viable quantum battery. No timeline has been announced for a follow-up prototype, and no company partnerships have been disclosed.
The paper, titled “Superextensive electrical power from a quantum battery” (DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02240-6), represents a contribution to a field that remains largely theoretical. The gap between laboratory demonstration and commercial viability is wide, but the successful completion of a full energy cycle marks a step that researchers in the field had not previously achieved.