Nanonets advance to aid batteries

2010-02-19
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A new anode material using nanotechnology could pave the way for faster, lighter and longer-lasting Lithium-ion batteries, researchers have said.

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A new anode material using nanotechnology could pave the way for faster, lighter and longer-lasting Lithium-ion batteries, researchers have said.

A team of chemists from the Boston College has developed a tiny scaffold-like titanium structure of Nanonets coated with silicon particles that offer a unique structural strength, more surface area and greater conductivity compared with a typical Lithium ion anode material in consumer electronics batteries.

The new material increases the the charge/re-charge rate of batteries by five to 10 times, the findings published in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters said.

The Nanonets, a web-like structure, was seen to be extremely durable, registering a minimal decline of 0.1% in capacity between the 20th and 100th charge and re-charge cycles.

The team, led by Boston College Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dunwei Wang, also found that Nononets improved the ability to insert and extract Lithium ions from the particulate Silicon coating by up to 10 times.

Wang said achieving high performance of the Nanonet anode material depended upon the capability to preserve the crystalline Titanium Silicon core during the charge/discharge process.

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