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NEWS
Lithium-ion battery breakthrough for Aussie researchers
University of Wollongong's new battery technology can double range and cut charging times to just a few minutesA research team from the University of Wollongong has declared what it says is a major breakthrough in boosting the potential range of EV batteries.
Team leader Professor Zaiping Guo from the university’s Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials told her audience at UoW’s recent Big Ideas Festival that cells using nanostructured Germanium (Ge)-based anode material improve energy density by up to five times, sufficient to at least double the range of the batteries used in today’s EVs.
Testing with lithium-germanium anode chemistry have shown consistently high capacity at low and high discharge rates – up to 1860mAh/g (milli-Amp hours per gram), compared to 300 and 400 mAh/g for conventional graphite based anodes). This makes it suitable for all manner of uses, from phones and other small mobile devices to EVs and industrial-scale energy storage. The technology can also dramatically reduce charging times.
The university says it’s working with South Australian-based electronics specialist Redarc and Shanghai-based battery maker DLG to ready the technology for market. “We’re truly excited about this breakthrough and are looking forward to transitioning this technology to the commercial marketplace,” Professor Guo said in a statement released by the university.
The major barrier to entry at the moment is cost, she told media at the festival. “The price of producing the batteries is very high. But the Germanium-based materials we use are quite abundant in the earth’s crust. They’re very simple to synthesise and cost-effective. They can be fabricated in large-scale by industry, and therefore have great commercial potential.”
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Written byJeremy Bass
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