What If Your Phone Could Charge Itself Forever? Scientists May Have Found the Answer!

In a world obsessed with battery life, a breakthrough in physics is sparking new hope. It sounds almost too good to be true. Scientists have discovered a new phase of matter called a time crystal that defies traditional energy loss.

Now, researchers have taken things a step further with an even more extraordinary discovery: the time quasicrystal. Could this mysterious material be the key to devices that run indefinitely without needing a recharge? The answer isn’t simple. However, recent advancements in quantum physics may have brought us closer than ever to unlocking that potential.

The Endless Power Problem

We’ve all been there, nervously watching our phone’s battery percentage drain at the worst possible moment. While advancements in battery technology have improved efficiency, energy loss remains inevitable. Every device, from smartphones to satellites, eventually runs out of power.

This happens because of a fundamental principle in physics known as entropy. Over time, all systems tend to lose energy, a consequence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. But what if there were a way to break that rule, or at least bend it?

The Discovery That Bends Time and Energy Loss

In 2012, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Frank Wilczek proposed an idea that sounded impossible. He suggested a time crystal, a system that could move perpetually without using energy.

Unlike traditional crystals like diamonds or quartz, which repeat their structure in space, time crystals repeat their structure in time. Imagine a metronome that keeps swinging back and forth forever without any external force.

For years, time crystals remained theoretical. However, in 2021, researchers at Google’s Quantum AI Lab, along with scientists from Stanford and Princeton, successfully created a functioning time crystal using Google’s quantum computer.

The Latest Breakthrough: Time Quasicrystals

In March 2025, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, along with collaborators from MIT and Harvard, achieved a new milestone. They created a time quasicrystal, an entirely new phase of matter.

Led by Professor Chong Zu, the team successfully created this new form of time crystal by bombarding a diamond with nitrogen beams. This process knocked carbon atoms out of place, creating tiny defects called vacancies.

These vacancies act like miniature quantum wells where electrons settle and interact. Using microwave pulses, the team triggered precise rhythms in these vacancies. This effectively made the entire structure oscillate in highly organized patterns, much like a clock ticking endlessly without winding.

What makes this discovery even more fascinating is that a time quasicrystal behaves like a musical chord rather than a single note. Each rhythm moves at different frequencies, yet they remain perfectly synchronized. This achievement has never been seen before in quantum physics.

Could Time Crystals Power Phones That Never Die?

In theory, yes, but there’s a catch.

Time crystals, and now time quasicrystals, don’t generate energy from nothing. Instead, they behave like a perfectly efficient pendulum that swings forever once set in motion.

If integrated into electronics, these structures could:

• Stabilize quantum memory in powerful computers
• Improve data storage by reducing information loss
• Enable sensors that require almost no power to function

Most notably, the research team suggests that time quasicrystals could revolutionize precision timekeeping. Unlike quartz oscillators used in clocks and electronics, which require recalibration, time quasicrystals could provide an energy-efficient way to maintain a stable tick indefinitely.

The Road Ahead for Energy-Free Devices

Turning time crystals or quasicrystals into practical devices won’t happen overnight. Current systems operate at extremely low temperatures inside controlled environments, such as quantum computers.

To achieve practical applications like energy-free processors or self-charging devices, researchers must overcome several hurdles.

• Temperature Control: Time crystals currently require cryogenic conditions to remain stable
• Scalability: Creating time crystals large enough to integrate into everyday electronics is still a challenge
• Energy Input: While time crystals conserve energy efficiently, they don’t yet generate power on their own

How Time Crystals Could Create a Sustainable Future

Despite these challenges, time crystals and quasicrystals could help unlock new technologies that demand minimal energy. In quantum computing, for example, time crystals could enable error-resistant systems that perform complex calculations without frequent recalibration.

For the average person, this might one day translate into:

• Phones that rarely need charging
• Data centers that consume less power
• Medical implants that last for years without battery changes

What Comes Next?

Physicists are now exploring how to integrate time crystals and quasicrystals into semiconductor chips. This could be a potential game-changer for low-power electronics.

If successful, the result could redefine how devices are designed. It would shift away from energy-hungry processors toward sustainable, low-power systems.

While the idea of a phone that “charges itself forever” is still far off, the discovery of time crystals, and now time quasicrystals, is a significant step toward that reality.

For now, the race is on to turn these discoveries into real-world devices. These innovations could power technology indefinitely and reshape the future of energy.

Do you think energy-free devices will become part of our everyday lives? Share your thoughts below!