PORTLAND, Ore. — Lithium-ion batteries could be recharged in seconds using a surface treatment invented by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By fabricating nanoscale grooves atop traditional lithium iron phosphate material, battery cells could be recharged up to 36 times faster (as little as 10 seconds) instead of six minutes or more per cell. The improved batteries also release energy more quickly, meaning they also could be used to boost acceleration in electric and hybrid cars at rates comparable to gasoline-powered engines.
A sample of the MIT battery material that could allow quick charging of portable devices.
MIT researchers estimate that the ease with which the new technique can be applied to existing lithium-ion batteries, for which MIT has applied for a patent and already licensed to two companies, will begin appearing in commercial products in as little as two years. "We have created a new surface structure that allows lithium ions to move quickly around the outside of the bulk material until they align with tunnels that quickly transport the ions through it," said Byoungwoo Kang, an MIT doctoral candidate working under engineering professor Gerbrand Ceder. Several years ago, Ceder found that computer simulations of materials used in lithium-ion batteries showed that the transport of ions should be much faster than previously thought. Further examination of the simulations revealed that only a limited number of tunnels to the interior of the bulk material were available at the surface.
After several years of experimentation, Kang and Ceder discovered that the problem could be alleviated by fabricating groove-like structures spaced just 5 nanometers apart on the surface of the lithium iron phosphate material. The resulting material accelerated the transport of the ions by as much as 36 times.
"With our surface treatment, the recharging of batteries is no longer limited by ion transport, which means that not only will batteries recharge more quickly, but they can also deliver power more quickly than before," Kang said. Recharging batteries for cellphones and other small devices using the technology would take seconds, the researchers claimed. For the emerging electric car industry, electric cars would be able to accelerate as quickly as gas-powered vehicles. While the recharging technology could be integrated into the existing battery infrastructure in two years, home rechargers for electric cars would have to be redesigned to handle the rapid transfer of energy. "For cars, the speed that they can recharge at home will be limited not by the battery but by how much power can be made available to homeowners through the [electric] grid," said Kang. Tests so far show that the nanoscale surface treatment for lithium iron phosphate is as durable as the bulk material, allowing repeated quick charging and discharging without degradation. Funding for the MIT research was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and the Energy Department's Batteries for Advanced Transportation Program.
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