Professor Zaiping Guo, Nano-engineer, ARC QEII Fellow at ISEM
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA: Researchers at University of Wollongong’s Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials (ISEM) are working on improving lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for use in electric vehicles, as well as portable devices like mobile phones, and they have just had a breakthrough. They have developed a new Germanium (Ge)-based material with 5 times more energy storage and the potential to go at least 2 times farther on a charge than current electric vehicles.
According to Professor Zaiping Guo, Nano-engineer, ARC QEII Fellow at ISEM, the development of this inexpensive manufacturing technique is a breakthrough that will provide a significant improvement in battery technology, which can be used to power the next generation of clean-tech electric cars.
“The novel anode materials are very simple to synthesize and cost-effective. They can be fabricated in large-scale by industry, therefore have great commercial potential, noting that while the price of Ge is still high compared to other candidate materials at the moment, mass production may bring the price down,” said Guo.
Professor Guo said independent tests also showed significant reduction in charging time for the Ge-based batteries, which she noted could also be used for consumer electronics, like mobile phones and laptops, as well as grid-scale energy storage.
“We’re truly excited about this breakthrough and are looking forward to transitioning this technology to the commercial marketplace,” she added.
© University of Wollongong News