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Staff Reporter
A new manufacturing method for lithium-ion batteries could lead to a significant improvement in power and charge capacity while reducing manufacturing costs, South Korean researchers said in Seoul Monday.
A team of researchers led by Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) scientist Kim Il-doo said they have developed a way to mass produce a new electrode material for lithium-ion batteries that promises higher voltage, longer life and shorter charging time.
KIST recently signed a contract to transfer the technology to a local high-tech company, AMO, which expects to produce the advanced batteries in two or three years.
Lithium-ion batteries have become the most common rechargeable batteries in consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptop computers, and are also used for electric and hybrid cars.
Naturally, improving power and energy storage has been the focus of researchers amid rising consumer demand for the batteries as electronic devices become more sophisticated.
In lithium-ion batteries, which are rechargeable, lithium ions move between the battery's anode and cathode, with the high energy density producing the required voltage in electronic gadgets.
High-capacity cathode materials are required for producing batteries with longer lives, while high-power anode materials are needed for producing batteries that provide electricity for electronic vehicles.
Graphite has been a popular material for cathodes, but graphite cathodes are often blamed for lost capacity due to their consumption of lithium ions, linked to shorter battery life. Lithium-ion batteries with graphite cathodes show a full-discharge capacity of 372 milliampere-hours (mAh), which is not enough for extended use.
Silicon and tin have been suggested as alternatives to graphite in cathodes, but the tendency of the materials to expand in size during charging and discharging have been blamed for shorter battery life.
This problem could be solved by assembly the materials in nanowires or nanoparticles, but high production costs have been limiting the possibility of commercial applications.
Kim's solution is to use electro-spinning technology to produce nanoscopic scale fabric electrodes, which also allow the mass production of the electrodes.
Lithium ion batteries using nanofabric tin cathodes displayed a discharged capacity of about 600 mAh and retained the capacity when recharged 500 times, Kim said.
``Our method provides more efficiency in the production of the batteries and better power and capacity, so we are confident of finding a huge commercial possibility, especially in electronic vehicles,'' Kim said.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
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