Imagine that the same rechargeable battery in your cell phone could power a device that requires 10 times the energy. That possibility may be closer than you think.

A battery created by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrated an increased capacity for charge by roughly a third and a power output 10 times higher, for its size, than what is expected of a conventional rechargeable lithium battery. The results were published yesterday in Nature Nanotechnology.

The research team, led by Yang Shao-Horn, an associate professor of materials science and mechanical engineering, and Paula Hammond, professor of chemical engineering at MIT, achieved this by creating an entirely new kind of electrode -- in this case, by modifying the positive end of the conventional battery, which is called the cathode.

The collaboration began through graduate student Seung Woo Lee, studying fuel cells, who was advised by both Shao-Horn and Hammond. Lee defended his doctoral dissertation this spring.

Using commercially available carbon nanotubes -- hollow cylinders 50,000 times thinner than a human hair but composed of carbon atoms -- the team fabricated the cathode entirely out of the nanotubes put down in layers.

The large surface area of a nanotube allows it to store more charge than other types of carbon, such as graphite, but previous battery fabrication methods tended to obscure these surfaces.

Using the exposed surfaces allows more charge to be stored -- increasing capacity -- while also letting those charges migrate more easily -- increasing power.

The findings of this research challenge the conventional wisdom about what materials could be used in the cathode of a battery. It also stimulates discussion about what such powerful batteries could be used for.

Small scale experiments so far
Increased power output makes for a great capacitor as well, by efficiently storing charge and delivering that energy precisely when it is needed. Their work, Shao-Horn said, could "lead to a device with performance that bridges batteries and electrochemical capacitors."

So far, the thickest cathode the group has made for these experiments is only 3 micrometers -- 3 one-thousandths of a millimeter. This is tiny when compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries that have electrodes roughly 100 to 200 micrometers thick.

In their present form, Shao-Horn said, their cathode "could be ideal for microelectronic devices."

But these battery-capacitors are also useful in a number of other applications such as emergency power, "energy capture and power assist in cars, trucks and machinery requiring many start-stop cycles," said Shao-Horn. Successfully scaling up this design could dramatically reduce the inefficiencies in future lithium-ion batteries.

However, Shao-Horn preferred to err on the side of caution when peering into the future of this new technology, saying they are only just beginning to understand the underlying chemistry involved.

"Further work is required," said Shao-Horn, "to demonstrate that power and energy performance is maintained with thicker electrodes." A crucial next step of this research is to demonstrate an electrode with a thickness of 50 micrometers -- more than 10 times the size of what they made for their experiments.

The next phase is scaling it up
Doing so would allow the researchers to test whether the electrical properties of the carbon nanotubes can be successfully scaled up to greater and greater thicknesses. Potentially, Shao-Horn said, there is "no limit" on thickness. But in order to do this, Hammond's expertise in biomaterials will be essential.

5 Comments

1. 1. Wayne Williamson 08:32 PM 6/23/10

   this is exactly what is needed to make electric cars and a distributed power network work....now if they can actually make it affordable....areas where mit is lacking...gov..any help...

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2. 2. Daniel35 12:34 AM 6/24/10

   At least three question remain. How long and through how many charges will the batteries last, and how easily are they recycled (at least until lithium from Afghanistan is common and cheap)?

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3. 3. Wayne Williamson 03:27 PM 9/4/10

   annyhaiyan...you've been reported for abuse....if you have something to contribute don' give me a link to laptop batteries....

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4. 4. justyntoo 07:36 PM 6/14/12

   is the increased capacity proportionatly equal to the increase in available carbon neuc./srface area? if so would it be more opertune to make something along the lines of buble tech ? well done .

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5. 5. ecviljoen36@gmail.com 12:34 AM 6/15/12

   A stone in the Bush.
   Its all very well, but where does the original power generation come from, Coal,Nuclear, Solar, Wind or Wave action?
   
   All the minerals to construct the usage items, still has to be mined and manufactured, again which power sources?
   ECV

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