Batteries opened the door to tech mobility—from handheld computers to wireless headphones and even drones—yet these powerhouses remain tethered to wall outlets for a significant portion of their not-so-long life. A team of scientists at Nanyang Technology University (NTU) plans to change all of that with a battery that could take just two minutes to be 70 per cent recharged.

Associate Professor Chen Xiaodong, School of Materials Science and Engineering, and his team's new batteries have a lifespan of over 20 years. Commonly used in mobile phones, tablets, and in electric vehicles, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries usually last about 500 recharge cycles. This is equivalent to two to three years of typical use, with each cycle taking about two hours for the battery to be fully charged. According to tech experts, manufacturers will soon require higher-energy density batteries that will power smaller and thinner consumer devices.

In the NTU's battery, the traditional graphite used for the anode in lithium-ion batteries is replaced with a new gel made from titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide is an abundant, cheap and safe material found in soil. It is commonly used as a food additive or in sunscreen lotions to absorb harmful ultraviolet rays.

Naturally found in spherical shape, it was transformed into nanotubes a thousand times thinner than human hair by the NTU team. This speeded up the chemical reactions taking place in the new battery, allowing for superfast charging.

The breakthrough has a wide-ranging impact on all industries, especially electric vehicles, where consumers are put off by the long recharge times and limited battery life. The 10,000-cycle life of the battery means that electric vehicle owners could save tens of thousands on battery replacements, which could cost over $5,000 each.

"Electric cars will be able to increase their range dramatically, with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars," said Chen. "Equally important, we can now drastically cut down the toxic waste generated by disposed batteries, since our batteries last ten times longer than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries."

Chen and his team are applying for a proof-of-concept grant to build a large-scale battery prototype, but the technology is already being licensed by a company for eventual production. Chen expects that the new generation of fast-charging batteries will hit the market in the next two years.

By: DocMemory
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