Lithium batteries used to power devices like smartphones can take a while to recharge, but researchers at the University of Bath are looking for solutions to speed those recharging times.
The key may lie in adding charged metal atoms to tunnel structures within the batteries, the researchers say.
Research groups led by Saiful Islam of the university’s Department of Chemistry and Reza Shahbazian-Yassar of the University of Chicago, have gained insights into improving the performance of lithium batteries and published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Storing electric energy more quickly than current electrodes is important for future applications, including portable electronics and electric vehicles.
Metal ions like potassium have been proven to improve charge storage in batteries, but scientists had not been able to understand why. The researchers led by Islam and Shahbazian-Yassar used a combination of structural experiments and computer simulations to determine the answer to this puzzle. They discovered that adding positively charged ions increases the speed at which lithium moves within the tunnel structures, which is crucial to improving the charging of batteries.
“Understanding these processes is important for the future design and development of battery materials and could lead to faster-charging batteries that will benefit consumers and industries,” says Islam. “Developing new materials holds the key to lighter, cheaper, and safer batteries, including for electric vehicles, which will help cut carbon emissions.”
