Aside from creating batteries that hold a bigger charge, there is the quest to decrease the time required to load and unload a battery. Thanks to Gerbrand Ceder and his team at MIT, that quest has taken a huge leap forward. The team realized that the bottle neck to rapid charging was not the material, but rather getting the electrons in alignment for acceptance by the material. They created a process by which the electrons are now fed into the material’s charging grid via ‘highway’ lanes. Their processed material test battery charged in 20sec vs. 6min for the unprocessed battery.

“Changing this behavior would let lithium-ion batteries send or receive a charge in short but intense bursts rather than at a moderate rate. A phone could potentially charge in as little as 10 seconds, according to the researchers, while even a plug-in gas/electric car like the Chevy Volt with a necessarily large battery could have a complete charge within a few minutes as long as the power source itself is capable. Any battery could also potentially be smaller, as electronics makers wouldn’t need to put in a large battery capacity to handle occasional spikes in power use.” MIT battery tech recharges in seconds, electronista, [11 March 2009]

The technology of rapid loading and unloading of next generation batteries is mission critical to our energy interdependent infrastructure. Mobile devices that can be charged in seconds’ means that charging stations can be placed in public areas like water fountains. Allowing users to ‘top off’ their laptop, cell phone, or iPod. Rapid charging car batteries will provide the same efficient experience we enjoy now at the local gas station. Plug in your rapid charging car and a few minutes later you too are ‘topped off’ for the ride home.

“Ceder notes that further tests showed that unlike other battery materials, the new material does not degrade as much when repeatedly charged and recharged. This could lead to smaller, lighter batteries, because less material is needed for the same result. “The ability to charge and discharge batteries in a matter of seconds rather than hours may open up new technological applications and induce lifestyle changes,” Ceder and Kang conclude in their Nature paper. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers program and the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Program of the U.S. Department of Energy. It has been licensed by two companies.” Re-engineered battery material could lead to rapid recharging of many devices, MIT News, [11 March 2009]