New Lithium-Ion Battery Offers Quicker Charging Times, Study Says

U.S. researchers say they have developed a technology that could dramatically reduce the time it takes to recharge lithium-ion batteries used in cellphones, laptop computers, and electric vehicles (EVs). Unlike conventional lithium-ion rechargeable batteries — in which active material is placed on a thin film that has limited storage capacity and thus degrades quickly — researchers at the University of Illinois say they have created a 3-D nanostructure that enable batteries to charge at a much faster rate. The tiny metal structure, which ultimately is coated with the thin film, is not immune to degradation, but the degradation is much slower because the new battery is 10 times more efficient than conventional batteries, according to the group’s study, which was published in the journal Nature Nantotechnology. While it now can take several hours to charge an EV at a home charging station, researchers hope the technology will one day enable drivers to recharge a car battery in the time it takes to fill a tank of gasoline. Recharging a cellphone could eventually take less than a minute, the researchers predicted.