{"id":9356,"date":"2014-10-15T21:51:32","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T04:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=9356"},"modified":"2014-10-15T21:51:32","modified_gmt":"2014-10-16T04:51:32","slug":"%e2%80%8bntu-develops-ultra-fast-charging-batteries-last-20-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/%e2%80%8bntu-develops-ultra-fast-charging-batteries-last-20-years\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200bNTU Develops Ultra-fast Charging Batteries That Last 20 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Singapore is only 276.5 square miles, about 27 miles long, and has five and a half million people, according to Wikipedia.\u00a0 It\u2019s an enormously productive country with an excellent education program from kindergarten on up to graduate schools.\u00a0 Recently, one of those graduate programs announced an \u201cultra-fast charging batter[y] that can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"NTU-associate<\/a>

NTU associate professor Chen-Xiaodong with research fellow Tang Yuxin-and-PhD student Deng Jiyang. \u00a0Photo: NTU<\/p><\/div>\n

This breakthrough from Nanyang Technology University (NTU)<\/a> is also claimed to have a 20-year lifespan, 10 times that of existing lithium-ion cells.<\/p>\n

Part of the new battery\u2019s success comes from replacement of the traditional graphite anode with a new gel materal made from titanium dioxide, \u201can abundant, cheap and safe material found in soil. It is commonly used as a food additive or in sunscreen lotions to absorb harmful ultraviolet rays.\u201d\u00a0 Although naturally found in spherical shape, titanium dioxide was rolled into nanotubes thousands of times thinner than the diameter of a human hair by the NTU researchers. The nano sizing enables speeding up the battery\u2019s charging.\u00a0 The gel, created by Associate Professor Chen Xiaodong from NTU\u2019s School of Materials Science and Engineering, is described in the latest issue of <\/a><\/span>Advanced Materials<\/i>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The new cross-linked titanium dioxide nanotube-based electrodes eliminate the need for additives normally used in lithium-ion batteries and can pack more energy into the same amount of space.\u00a0 It\u2019s also easy to manufacture, with titanium dioxide and sodium hydroxide \u201cmixed together and stirred under a certain temperature so battery manufacturers will find it easy to integrate the new gel into their current production processes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers are reticent about giving hard numbers for energy density, but suggest that the batteries will be smaller than current li-ion cells for the same amount of storage.<\/p>\n

Prof Chen and his team will apply for a Proof-of-Concept grant to build a large-scale battery prototype. With the help of NTUitive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTU\u00a0set up to support NTU start-ups, the patented technology has already attracted interest from the industry.\u00a0 This seems to be on a fast track, with marketing expected in the next two years.<\/p>\n

The University reports Professor Chen as saying, \u201cElectric cars will be able to increase their range dramatically, with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEqually important, we can now drastically cut down the toxic waste generated by disposed batteries, since our batteries last ten times longer than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries.\u201d\u00a0 This would lead to savings of at least one $5,000 or more battery change in the life of an EV.<\/p>\n

The University has more than one reason to be proud.\u00a0 \u201cNTU professor Rachid Yazami, the co-inventor of the lithium-graphite anode 30 years ago that is used in today\u2019s lithium-ion batteries, said Prof Chen\u2019s invention is the next big leap in battery technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019While the cost of lithium-ion batteries has been significantly reduced and its performance improved since Sony commercialized it in 1991, the market is fast expanding towards new applications in electric mobility and energy storage,\u2019 said Prof Yazami, who is not involved in Prof Chen\u2019s research project.\u201d<\/p>\n