New lithium battery can be fully charged in 5 minutes

Scientists at Cornell University in the United States have developed a new type of lithium battery that can be fully charged in 5 minutes, which is faster than other similar batteries on the market. It can also maintain stable performance after thousands of charge and discharge cycles, which is expected to alleviate the "range anxiety" of electric car drivers. The relevant paper was published in the latest issue of Joule magazine.

Research diagram
Image source: Joule magazine

Lithium-ion batteries are one of the most popular ways to power electric cars and smartphones. They are lightweight, reliable and relatively energy-efficient, but they often take hours to charge and lack the ability to handle large power surges. In the latest research, scientists have identified a unique indium anode material that can be effectively paired with the cathode material in lithium-ion batteries. Based on this, they have created a battery that can quickly charge in 5 minutes and discharge slowly.

The researchers explained that to design the latest battery, they focused on the kinetics of electrochemical reactions and identified indium as a highly promising fast-charging material. Indium is a soft metal that is primarily used to make indium tin oxide coatings for touch screen displays and solar panels, and is also used as a substitute for lead in low-temperature solders.

New research shows that indium has two key properties as a battery anode: an extremely low migration energy barrier, which allows ions to diffuse rapidly in the solid state; and a reduced exchange current density with ions in the anode, slowing surface reactions - these two properties combined are essential for fast charging and long-term storage of electrical energy.

The key to this innovation is to allow the metal ions at the battery's anode to move freely and find the right configuration before participating in the charge storage reaction. This allows the electrode to be in a stable state during each charging cycle, allowing the new battery to remain stable for thousands of charge and discharge cycles.

The researchers say this technology, combined with wireless inductive charging roads, has the potential to reduce the size and cost of batteries, making electric transportation a more viable option for drivers. But indium is heavy, and they hope to use artificial intelligence tools to discover better battery anodes.