New technology for lithium-ion batteries allows charging in ten minutes

Scientists have succeeded in developing a new design for small lithium-ion batteries that can be charged in ten minutes. They use a cluster of carbon nanowires with silicon coating for the anode.

The scientists used a new architecture of three-dimensional, cone-shaped clusters of carbon nanowires treated via cvd and icp, and provided with silicon. The fast charging is made possible by the seamless connection of the carbon nanowire cones and a graphene-covered part of the anode. The cones thus form channels for a faster connection between the anode and the cathode.

It can charge 16 times faster than traditional graphite-based anodes, say scientists at the University of California’s Riverside Bourns College of Engineering. In addition, the efficiency would not or hardly decrease, even after a large number of charging and discharging times.

The use of silicon for the anode can increase the charging capacity tenfold compared to graphite variants and the increase in cell capacity also brings 40 percent lighter and smaller batteries within reach. The researchers describe their findings in an article published in the scientific journal Nano Micro Small.