Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has developed a lithium-ion battery that can be recharged up to 70% in two minutes.
The battery is also designed to have a lifespan of 20 years. Current batteries have a lifespan of 2-3 years and take about 40 minutes to get up to 80% of charge, according to professor Chen Xiaodong from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at NTU.
The researchers replaced the graphite normally used for the anode in lithium-ion batteries with a new gel material made from titanium dioxide. A developed method to turn titanium dioxide particles into nanotubes enables speeding up chemical reactions taking place in the new battery, allowing for superfast charging.
“Manufacturing this new nanotube gel is very easy,” said Chen in a statement. “Titanium dioxide and sodium hydroxide are mixed together and stirred under a certain temperature. Battery manufacturers will find it easy to integrate our new gel into their current production processes.”
The team plans to apply for a proof-of-concept grant to build a large-scale battery prototype.
The batteries are aimed to hit the market in the next two years and to help to overcome longstanding power issues in electromobility.
The technology is now being licensed by an undisclosed multi-national corporation for mass production.