(Foreground): A pictorial representation of the egg and yolk nanoparticle structure; the grey center is the "yolk", and the outer most layer is the shell of the "egg". (Background): An actual electron microscope image of a collection of yolk-egg nanoparticles. (Image source: MIT)
Researchers at MIT and Tsinghua University in China have innovated a new rechargeable battery technology that may result in a next-gen lithium-ion battery with very fast charging rates; six minutes to full charge! At the heart of the new battery, the research team has created “an electrode made of nanoparticles with a solid shell….” Inside the shell, there’s a “yolk”, which can expand and contract without affect the shell. According to the team, this new electrode is able to overcome the physical limitations of the electrode, made of graphite, in current lithium-ion batteries.
The graphite electrode is put through tremendous physical stress during a typical charging cycle; this will degrade the performance of the lithium-ion battery over time. However, with the new “egg and yolk” electrode, the new rechargeable battery will be more durable due to unique "yolk" and "egg shell" structure. Besides having an extremely fast charging rate, the next-gen battery is touted to have three times the capacity than a traditional Li-ion one. The researchers use titanium dioxide to make the “shell” while the “yolk” is made from aluminum. So far, the tests conducted on the “yolk and egg” battery have been “lab-scale”, and its results are impressive. Due to its relatively-simple constructions process and the use of inexpensive materials, the production of this battery can be scaled up easily.
The research team, led by MIT professor Ju Li, consists of the following members: Sa Li, Yu Cheng Zhao, and Chang An Wang of Tsinghua University in Beijing and Junjie Niu, Kangpyo So, and Chao Wang of MIT. According to professor Li, the usage of aluminum and titanium dioxide nanoparticles to develop this innovative “egg and yolk” construction method was a serendipitous discovery. This chance discovery made just lead to obsolescence of the current lithium-ion battery.
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