Western-led research may ‘charge up’ consumers by addressing their frequent complaint that rechargeable batteries gradually hold less charge over time.
Western-led research may ‘charge up’ consumers by addressing their frequent complaint that rechargeable batteries gradually hold less charge over time. The solution to longer battery life, researchers contend, may be found in adding a carbon-based layer to lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.
“We added a thin layer of carbon coating to the aluminum foil that conducts electric current in rechargeable batteries,” explained Xia Li, a Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Engineering and lead researcher of the study. “It was a small change, but we found the carbon coating protected the aluminum foil from corrosion of electrolyte in both high voltage and high energy environments – boosting the battery capacities up to 50 per cent more than batteries without the carbon coating.”
Li is part of Western’s Advanced Materials for Clean Energy Group led by Engineering professor Xueliang (Andy) Sun.
Western researchers collaborated with 3M Canada, which provided the carbon coating, and the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, which provided the synchrotron light required to test the coating.
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Image via Western University.
