It usually takes 6 minutes or more to complete a lithium battery. However, the traditional lithium iron phosphate material can increase the charging speed of the battery by 36 times (only 10 seconds) after surface treatment to generate nano-scale grooves.

　　MIT battery material sample that realizes fast charging

　　The lithium battery using this technology also has a high discharge speed, so it can be used for the acceleration of hybrid vehicles, so that the speed of hybrid vehicles can catch up with cars with gasoline engines.

　　MIT has applied for a patent for this technology and licensed it to two companies. MIT researchers said that because this new technology is an improvement on the basis of existing lithium-ion batteries and does not require new materials, commercial products will be launched in two years.

　　ByoungwooKang, a doctoral student under the supervision of Professor Gerbrand Ceder, said, "By processing the surface of the lithium iron phosphate material, lithium ions can move quickly into the channel and be quickly transmitted to the terminal."

　　A few years ago, when Ceder used a computer to simulate the materials used in lithium-ion batteries, he found that the transmission speed of lithium ions should be faster than previously thought. After subsequent in-depth simulation research, it was found that the number of channels through which lithium ions can be sent to the bulk material on the surface of the lithium iron phosphate material is limited, which limits the transmission speed of lithium ions during the charging process.

　　After accumulating many years of experience, Kang and Ceder found that the surface treatment of lithium iron phosphate materials to generate multiple grooves with an interval of only 5 nanometers can increase the transmission speed of lithium ions by 36 times.

　　"By adopting this technology, battery charging will no longer be restricted by lithium ion transmission speed. This means that in the future, lithium batteries can not only be charged more quickly, but also can be discharged more quickly."

　　Researchers said that in the future, lithium batteries for mobile phones and other small devices using this technology will be able to be charged in a few seconds. For the emerging electric vehicle industry, this means that by then, the speed of electric vehicles will be able to be increased to be comparable to that of gas vehicles.

　　It takes two years to apply this charging technology to the existing lithium battery base material and launch the product. During this period, the home charger for electric cars can be redesigned so that it can handle the rapid transfer of energy. For electric vehicles, the charging speed of car batteries at home is not only limited by the battery itself, but also by the power situation in the owner's home.

　　Tests so far show that the lithium iron phosphate material is as durable as a bulk material after nano-scale surface treatment, and can be repeatedly charged and discharged without affecting the charging effect due to aging.