The small foam pieces used to protect fragile goods in boxes could soon power your phone thanks to a battery breakthrough. Researchers have developed a way of turning the so-called 'packing peanuts' into carbon, which can then be added to the types of lithium batteries used in everyday gadgets. During tests the packing peanut-based batteries could store 15 per cent more power than current technology - and they even outperformed similar batteries made of graphite. Scroll down for video . Researchers have developed a way of turning  so-called 'packing peanuts' (pictured) into carbon, which can then be added to the kinds of lithium batteries in everyday gadgets. During tests the packing peanut-based batteries could store around 15% more power than current technology . This breakthrough was made by Dr Vilas Pol, Dr Vinodkumar Etacheri and their colleagues at Purdue University. They presented their findings at the National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The researchers began by baking the packing peanuts at around 600°C (1,100°F) to create blocks of black carbon. These blocks were then flattened into microsheets and nanoparticles, which in turn were added as anodes to lithium batteries. These sheets had a lithium-ion storage capacity of 420 mAh per gram. By comparison, an iPhone 6 battery has a total storage capacity of 1810mAh and weighs 0.9oz (28 grams), while the theoretical capacity of graphite is 372 mAh/g. This means the packing peanut technology could make batteries smaller and lighter, yet more powerful. Typically researchers make similar microsheets using temperatures as high as 2,200°C (4,100°F), meaning Dr Pol's method uses less energy and is more environmentally friendly. Dr Pol got the idea to turn these peanuts into nanoparticles and microsheets when he was taking delivery of new equipment for his lab. 'I looked at the packing peanuts and thought that while we are exploring "green" technologies, we should not be harming the environment by throwing them away,' he said. The researchers began by baking the packing peanuts at around 600°C (1,100°F) to create blocks of black carbon. These blocks were then flattened into microsheets and nanoparticles, which in turn were added as anodes to lithium batteries. These sheets had a lithium-ion storage capacity of 420 mAh per gram. By comparison, an iPhone 6 battery has a total storage capacity of 1810mAh and weighs 0.9oz (28 grams), while the theoretical capacity of graphite is 372 mAh/g. This means the packing peanut technology could make batteries smaller and lighter, yet more powerful. Typically researchers make similar microsheets using temperatures as high as 2,200°C (4,100°F), meaning Dr Pol's method uses less energy and is more environmentally friendly. The researchers at Purdue University began by baking the packing peanuts at around 600°C (1,100°F) to create blocks of black carbon. These blocks were then flattened into microsheets (pictured) and nanoparticles, which in turn were added as anodes to lithium batteries . Drs Pol and Etacheri then tested the microsheets and nanoparticles as anodes in rechargeable lithium ion batteries. The lithium ions move between the electrodes during charging and discharging and the researchers said their anode works so well 'it outperforms commercial [anodes], with a storage capacity higher than graphite, a typical anode material.' And although the higher temperatures used to create other sheets create a more layered arrangement of carbon atoms to maximise  performance, Dr Pol's less-ordered materials are said to have a 15 per cent higher electrical storage capacity. Typically researchers make similar microsheets using temperatures as high as 2,200°C (4,100°F), which creates more structured sheets. By comparison, the 'disordered crystal structure' of Purdue University's sheets (shown) lets them store more lithium ions than the theoretical limit - making them more powerful . Dr Pol hopes his group's new, scalable process could have carbon microsheets and nanoparticles ready for commercial use in batteries (pictured) within two years . '[The batteries] have disordered, porous structures,' said Dr Etacheri. 'The disordered crystal structure lets them store more lithium ions than the theoretical limit, and their porous microstructure lets the lithium ions quickly diffuse into the microsheets and creates more surface area for electrochemical interactions.' Dr Pol hopes his group's new, scalable process could have carbon microsheets and nanoparticles ready for commercial use in batteries within two years.
The discovery was made by Dr Vilas Pol and at Purdue University . Packing peanuts are the small foam pieces used in packaging . Dr Pol's team baked the peanuts at 600°C (1,100°F) to create carbon blocks . These blocks were flattened to make microsheets and nanoparticles . Such sheets and particles can then be added as anodes in lithium batteries .