New research from Samsung show that lithium-ion batteries can be both fast charging and have high capacities when coated with graphene. No, this isn’t your carpet under a microscope. It’s what graphene looks like. (Photo from Samsung)
Even though lithium-ion batteries have a lot of capabilities, they’re pretty limited. Normally, they can only provide either fast charging speeds or high capacities, rarely both. Samsung researchers working with Seoul National University are looking to change this. The team has discovered how to give batteries both of these qualities using graphene.
When the electrodes are coated with graphene, a thin, popcorn-shaped layer, they’re able to produce a battery with the ability to charge in 12 minutes with up to 45 percent more capacity. If all goes well with researching, this could lead to lighter and faster-charging electric vehicles. Graphene is also ideal for lithium-ion batteries since it can reduce the wear and tear on them.
Usually, lithium-ion batteries can suffer from “side reactions” which can wear down the electrodes. This occurs most often if the battery is charged too fast. Using nanomaterial like graphene can reduce this damage along with increasing their conductivity. But with this comes another issue – coating the electrodes.
Doing this is usually a challenge, but Samsung is approaching a bit differently. They’re using a material assembly called a graphene ball to cover nickel-rich cathodes and lithium-based anode materials. Since the substance is thin, it can be coast on the cathode evenly, which makes it more effective and gives the anode a capacity boost.
Using the method increased the stability of the battery along with its conductivity. As an added bonus, the team was able to hit energy densities of nearly 800 Wh/L, which is roughly the same as Li-ion batteries used by Tesla and others.
And speaking of Tesla, the EPA recently confirmed that Tesla’s Model 3 will have a range of 310-miles. The less expensive version, $35,000, will only be able to drive roughly 220 miles before it needs to recharge. This makes it one of the most efficient consumer vehicles in the world and gets an estimated equivalent of 126 miles per gallon average when driving in cities and on highways.
So when will the car be available for the masses? It’s hard to say. According to Tesla’s third-quarter earnings, the company only shipped 222 Model 3s in the time period. They hope to increase production to produce 5000 of the cars per week by the end of Q1 2018. So if you want one, it’s best to save up your pennies.
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