Scientists developing a new type of lithium battery with a charging speed 10 times faster than curre

2023-12-25

From mobile phones to laptops, from electric vehicles to airplanes, lithium-ion batteries are widely used in the industry for power generation. Therefore, every performance improvement of lithium batteries will have a wide impact on the world. Some of these improvements are progressive advances in testing alternative materials, while others come from a re conception of the entire equipment and its working methods. Recently, the University of Twente in the Netherlands has developed a new type of lithium-ion battery with a charging speed 10 times that of current batteries.

Thislargely attributed to the brand new anode. Scientists at the University of Twente created an anode using a material called nickel niobate. This material has an open and regular crystal structure with identical and repetitive channels, making it an ideal choice for ion transport.

When the battery cycles, lithium ions move back and forth between the two electrodes, but not all lithium ions can complete the journey. This leads to the formation of lithium "islands" that are not electrochemically active between the two electrodes and are disconnected from them. These clumps cause a decrease in the storage capacity of the device and even lead to it catching fire.

These stability issues arise from needle like protrusions called dendrites formed on the lithium metal anode during the charging process, leading to a decrease in battery performance, failure, and even ignition. Li and his colleagues attempted to overcome this problem by replacing the liquid electrolyte of the battery with a pair of solid electrolytes, which are layered together in a BLT style sandwich and safely controlled and contained during the formation of dendrites.

This new type of lithium battery uses nickel niobate (NiNb2O6) as the material. Nickel niobate has a unique crystal structure with identical and repetitive ion transport channels. In terms of material manufacturing, there is no need to assemble in a dust-free room. In addition, nickel niobate is denser and has a higher volumetric energy density than graphite, which provides more opportunities to create lighter and simpler commercial batteries.

In testing, the team found that it retained 82% of its capacity after 10000 cycles, and most encouraging of all, the current density it demonstrated could one day enable electric vehicles to charge within 20 minutes.

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