South Korean Researchers Working on Batteries that Fully Charge in Minutes

[dgstorm]

One of the biggest problems that most smartphone users have with their phones is battery life issues. If you are a moderate to heavy user you may have to charge your phone more than once per day. Most of us would be happy to have a battery that would last at least a couple of days on a charge, but it will likely be a while before technology evolves to that point. A team of research scientists at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea decided to tackle the problem from a different angle. The surmised that if we couldn't yet build a battery that holds its charge for a longer time, then instead what if we make it possible for a battery to fully charge in a fraction of the time instead. That way, even if we have to recharge more than once per day, it's far more convenient to do so. Here's a quote with the details on the new technology they are developing and how it works,

The way current li-on batteries are made, they have conductors feeding the charge-holding particles held within the cell. The problem is that the charge is deposited from the outside in, as the charge-holding section in the middle isn't directly exposed to any current.

The new technique, though, developed by researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, makes batteries that are densely interwoven with conductors, so the entire battery can start charging at the same time.

To do that, the team place the cell material in a solution containing graphite, which causes carbon to permeate the materials. When carbonized, the result is "a dense network of conductors throughout the electrodes of the battery".

According to the source of this article, this new tech will allow batteries to charge 30-120 times faster. This would mean charging your phone within minutes, instead of hours. Unfortunately, even though the theory is sound, and they are working hard to make it happen, there is no info regarding how long it will take to commercialize the concept. It's still great to see that our tech scientists are tackling things with some "outside the box" thinking. We will keep an eye on this and share as new details emerge.

Source: Gizmodo