Improvement of lithium-ion batteries with nano-structures
A team of scientists led by Prof. SONG Hyun-joon of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on 15 February 2009 have developed a nano-structure that could increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries used in equipment electronic and electric cars. The lithium-ion batteries capable of storing a large amount of energy, equipped with electronic devices already in daily use such as mobile phones.
When these batteries produce electricity, the lithium ions move from the anode to the cathode and vice versa when recharging. Graphite electrodes are used in these batteries are now due to debate a long time to recharge too slow. KAIST's team wanted to find a new material capable of replacing the graphite electrodes and identified copper oxide (CuO) as one of the most serious candidates.
The researchers then produced various nano-structures in CuO (a hexagon, and a sphere-shaped sea urchin) to test their potential to replace the graphite cathodes standards. When the copper oxide in the form of sea urchin is used at the electrodes, the lithium ions are captured more quickly, thus accelerating the speed of loading. The electrical energy stored is equal to 560 milliamps per hour (mAh), an excellent result compared to 372 mAh issued with graphite. "This research shows that the use of copper oxide increases the ability to recharge the lithium-ion batteries" says the professor who also hopes to demonstrate that this new material and nano-structures can increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries 3 to 10 times compared to current capacity.
Interest in these nano-batteries is growing in sectors such as automotive and aerospace. These results could spark a new generation of lithium-ion battery have been published in the online edition of the journal Advanced Materials.
