ORNL Discovers New Material for Fast-charging Batteries

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) claim to have discovered a new material that could increase the power, energy density of lithium ion batteries while reducing their charge time as well.

ZoomHansan Liu, Gilbert Brown and Parans Paranthaman of the Department of Energy Lab's Chemical Sciences Division discovered that titanium dioxide creates a highly desirable material that increases surface area and features a fast charge-discharge capability for lithium ion batteries. Compared to conventional technologies, the differences in charge time and capacity are striking, the scientists said.

"We can charge our battery to 50% of full capacity in six minutes while the traditional graphite-based lithium ion battery would be just 10 percent charged at the same current," Liu said.

The new battery also delivers a higher capacity of 256 versus only 165 milliampere hour per gram and features a "sloping discharge voltage that is good for controlling state of charge." The researchers said that this could result in "extremely safe and long-lasting alternatives to commercial graphite", which could make this technology a candidate for batteries in "hybrid electric vehicles and other high-power applications."

However, the downside of the material is that it is highly complex to manufacture and further research will be necessary in order to find out whether it could be mass produced.