Batteries that Recharge in Seconds

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have managed to make battery electrodes that can be 90% recharged within 2 minutes. If the method can be commercialised it could lead to laptops that recharge in minutes or mobile phones that can charge in 30 seconds.

The method used to make these ultrafast electrodes is compatible with many different types of batteries and the researchers have also used them to make nickel-metal-hydride batteries, the kind used in hybrid and electric cars.

The rate at which a battery can be charged up is normally limited by how fast ions and electrons can move from one end to the other. The researchers have used a nanostructured materials to try and find a way to decrease recharge time, and have now made progress using a highly porous metal "foam", coated with battery materials.

The Lithium-ion battery foam. (Credit: Paul Braun)

The method used for making these batteries, although it is complex should be easily applicable for the types of batteries commonly used in laptops and electric cars, and could be found in electrical appliances relatively soon.