- lithium iron phosphate battery
David Derbyshire Updated For mail online: at 15: 31 on March 11, 2009, scientists created a revolutionary cell phone battery that charges in 10 seconds instead of hours.
They say the new device charges 100 times as fast as conventional batteries and can also be used for mobile phones, laptops, ipod and digital cameras in two or three years.
The same technology can even allow electric vehicles to charge traditional cars while filling them with gasoline --
Remove one of the biggest obstacles to green, clean driving. The quick-
Charging batteries is the idea of MIT engineers.
The MIT team says their invention uses materials already available to battery manufacturers and can be produced in batches simply.
The invention is based on conventional lithium ion rechargeable batteries in most cameras, mobile phones and portable computers.
Lithium-ion batteries are used in portable devices because they store a lot of energy in small spaces.
However, they are also relatively slow in charging --
For anyone who forgets to charge their phone overnight, this can be a hassle.
Dr. Gerbrand Cedar, who designed the new battery, said: "The electric car battery has a lot of energy, so you can travel at 55 miles per hour for a long time, but the power is very low.
You can't speed up quickly.
According to Nature, Dr. Cedar and his colleagues have now found ways to speed up the process.
The traditional lithium-ion battery contains two electrodes-
Made of lithium, made of carbon.
Submerged in a liquid or paste called an electrolyte.
Ion when the battery is charged-
Or an atom with positive electricity.
From the lithium electrode to the carbon electrode.
When the battery is discharged, the ions flow in another way.
Charging or discharging the battery is slow because it takes time to "separate" ions from one electrode and absorb them to another.
The researchers used a traditional electrode made of lithium iron phosphate and changed its surface structure, making ion release and absorption 100 times faster than normal electrodes.
Prototypes made using new technology can be fully charged or discharged in 10 to 20 seconds.
Normal battery of the same size takes 6 minutes to charge.
Unlike other battery materials, this new material does not degrade during repeated charging and charging.
They say this could lead to battery life between two and three years.
Dr. Ceder said that the ability to charge and discharge batteries in seconds rather than hours could open up new technology applications and lead to lifestyle changes.
The technology could also bring in a new generation of smaller, lighter batteries that will bring phones and handheld batteries to the size of a credit card.
Although the invention will be welcomed by the owners of electronic portable devices --
Who will no longer need to remember to charge them overnight
This will also usher in a new era of electric vehicles.
Larger batteries for plug-in electric vehicles can be charged in five minutes
In contrast, the existing battery takes about 8 hours.
Owners of electric cars are free to drive long-distance cars because they know they can charge at the service station within minutes --
Like the owner of a gasoline or diesel car.