Song Hyun-joon
KAIST Researcher |
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korean researchers have developed a nano-structure that could spike the power of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are increasingly used in electronic devices and cars.
In lithium-ion batteries, which are rechargeable, lithium ions move between the battery's anode and cathode. The high energy density of the batteries accounts for their common use in consumer electronics products, especially portable devices. Their popularity in automotive and aerospace applications is growing and nanostructured, or nano-enabled, batteries are emerging as the new generation of lithium-ion batteries for their edge in recharging time, capacity and battery life.
A team of scientists led by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)'s Song Hyun-joon said they developed a nano-structured material using copper oxide (CuO), which could produce lithium-ion batteries with some 50 percent more capacity than conventional products.
The study was published in the online edition of peer-review journal Advanced Materials.
Graphite has been a popular material for cathodes in lithium-ion batteries. However, graphite cathodes are also blamed for lost capacity due to their consumption of lithium ions, which are linked to shorter battery life.
As such, scientists have been looking for materials that could replace graphite in cathodes, and silicon and metal oxide haven been discussed as possible alternatives.
Song is presenting copper oxide as the most recent candidate.
The KAIST team produced three copper oxide nanostructures in hexagon, ball and sea urchin shapes. When used as materials for cathodes, the lithium-ion batteries using the urchin-shaped nanostructures showed a full-discharge capacity of 560 milliampere-hours (mAh), compared to 372 mAh when using graphite cathodes.
``The research raised the possibility of using copper oxide for cathodes in lithium-ion batteries and that urchin-shaped nanostructures are most effective,'' Song said.
``We believe that the urchin-shaped structure could be more widely used in other material, such as silicon and cobalt oxide, which would help improve the capacity of lithium-ion batteries by three to 10 times current levels,'' he said.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
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