02 April 2009
Miracle batteries charge in seconds
If, like me, you have minimal patience when charging your laptop, chances are that you will be cursing the most common rechargeable battery in consumer electronics – lithium-ion.
Just recently I was writing an article in Nuremberg. I had little time to recharge my laptop and, just as I finished the final sentence, I watched helplessly as the confounded piece of equipment died in front of me. ‘That silly lithium-ion battery!’ I uttered – or some such expletive.
However, researchers in Massachusetts may have swooped to the rescue by making a few changes in the way lithium-ion batteries are manufactured. Smaller and lighter, they claim that the new batteries can be charged in seconds.
By studying computer simulations of the movements of ions and electrons in lithium iron phosphate - a lithium variant – the researchers realised that as the transport of the lithium ions was so fast, the problem lay with the way ions passed through material. To pass through the tiny holes, ions were positioned directly in front and by redesigning the material, ions could be ‘guided’ toward them.
So – if batteries can be charged under 20 seconds and there are relatively few changes in the production process, those – like me - of an impatient nature, will be keen to see the implementation of these little miracles.
Unfortunately, we will have to wait three years before the battery material hits the market. So, next time your laptop dies on you, in the interests of civility, please try and keep your expletives to a respectable level.
Author
Chris Shaw
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