Cornell Engineers Develop Fast-Charging Lithium Battery

New design using indium allows for a full charge in under five minutes, potentially easing 'range anxiety' for electric vehicle drivers.

Cornell University engineers have developed a new lithium battery that can fully charge in under five minutes, a breakthrough that could alleviate 'range anxiety' among electric vehicle (EV) drivers.
The researchers identified indium as a promising material for fast-charging batteries due to its low migration energy barrier and modest exchange current density.
The new battery design allows metal ions at the battery anode to freely move around, find the right configuration and only then participate in the charge storage reaction, enabling stable performance over extended cycles of charging and discharging.
Despite the breakthrough, indium is a heavy material, presenting an opportunity for further research into other lightweight materials that might achieve the same fast-charge rates.
The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Program and made use of the Cornell Center for Materials Research.