The Need

As technology continues to progress, embedding itself in our daily life from our cars to our wrists, an ever-present concern is the need for batteries with the ability to re-charge quickly. Most of these emerging technologies use Li-ion batteries with graphite anodes. Unfortunately, under fast charge the graphite anodes have a tendency to deteriorate due to the lithium electrolyte. While teams are exploring alternate battery compositions and designs, an alternate anode that could be used in Li-ion batteries could solve the problem now for all of these existing technologies while simultaneously opening the door for future advancements.

The Technology

A research team at The Ohio State University led by Dr. Anne Co have developed a battery anode whose unique structure and composition enables it to fast charge without the usual associated drawbacks of fast charge on a graphite anode. The anode, composed largely of transition metals, has improved heat dissipation capabilities and can maintain graphite’s low voltage capability, but with no observable Li dendrite growth. It does all of this without being sensitive to the air during the manufacturing process. By maintaining stable temperatures the anode retains its structure during fast charge cycles, making it a marked improvement, even over state of the art fast charge graphite anodes.

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Full-cell performance of the anode with a commercial LiFePO4 cathode at 6C charge/discharge (10 min charge/discharge)) delivered a capacity of 75 mAhr/g, and caould sustain 13 mAhr/ga at 60C at an impressive charge/discharge within 1 min for up to 3000 cycles.

Commercialization

• Electric vehicles
• Mobile devices
• Wearables
• Renewable Energy

Benefits/Advantages

• No Li Dendrite growth
• No air sensitivity during manufacturing
• Improved head dissipation at fast charge
• Same low voltage capability of graphite anodes