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MIT-Developed Batteries Can Charge in Seconds

by Evan Shamoon on March 12, 2009 at 11:26 AM



Some big brains at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed battery technology that could change the way we charge up our cell phones, cameras and other devices, according to the MIT News.

The technology involves a change in the channeling of lithium ions through -- you guessed it -- lithium ion batteries. Created by MIT Professor Gerbrand Ceder and graduate student Byoungwoo Kang, the new battery design allows for lithium ions to speed around the surface of the battery in a way MIT News likens to cars driving around a city's expressway loop. While the new design allows particles to enter the battery's center from numerous exit ramps, conventional chargers have all those ions driving straight up Main Street. This increased efficiency in regards to time and energy allows these smaller, lighter batteries to be recharged in mere seconds, according to Ceder.



But, it doesn't stop there. Just as the batteries are able to charge more quickly, they're also able to discharge more quickly. That could mean a fundamental change in our ideas about battery power. Mentioning that battery powered cars frequently top out at a meager 55 miles per hour, Ceder suggests that this new technology -- which he hopes to be on the market in two to three years -- could result in faster, more quickly charged electric cars. "[This design] may open up new technological applications and induce lifestyle changes," he told the MIT News.

Now, if they'd just hurry up, we could stick one of those suckers in our dang iPhone before this charge runs ou... [From: MIT News Via: Digital Media Wire]

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Tags: battery, battery charger, battery life, BatteryLife, lithium-ion, MIT

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