STARLIGHT

The Pohang University of Science and Technology(POSTECH)announced on Oct 19 that a research team led by Kang Byung-woo,a professor of new materials engineering,has developed a battery material for electric cars that can complete 90 per cent of the charge in six minutes.

At present,reducing the particle size of electrode materials is mainly used for charging and discharging of fast secondary batteries.However,this method leads to a reduction in the volume energy density of the battery.

The research team found out that the energy density loss can be prevented,even without the particle size reduction,when an intermediate phase is formed in the process of phase transition between charging and discharging.The transition occurs with lithium intercalation and deintercalation during charging and discharging.

By the synthesis method developed by the team,an intermediate phase can be induced that is capable of substantially reducing a change in volume between the two phases in the particles.As a result,the numerous particles in the electrodes cause a uniform electrochemical reaction and charging and discharging can be significantly expedited.The research team explained that a higher output can be attained and secondary batteries can become more durable as a result.

Details of the study can be found in the latest edition of the October issue of the journal Energy and Environmental Science.