Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered a new type of glass material that could be used as an electrode in Lithium-ion batteries to almost double the life of smartphone batteries.
The researcher team led by Dr Semih Afyon and Reinhard Nesper claim that Vanadate-borate glass can be used as a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries to double smartphone’s battery life. Vanadate-borate glass, made of vanadium oxide (V2O5) and lithium-borate (LiBO2) precursors, has been coated with reduced graphite oxide (RGO) to increase the electrode properties of the material.
The researchers used a vanadium-based compound because vanadium is a transition metal with various oxidation states, which can be exploited to reach higher capacities.
Powdered vanadium pentoxide was blended with borate compounds to produce the cathode material. This powder was then made to melt at 900 degrees Celsius and cool down as quickly as possible to form glass. The resulting paper-thin sheets were then crushed into a powder before use, as this increases their surface area and creates pore space.
The researchers coated the vanadate-borate powder with reduced graphite oxide (RGO) to produce an efficient electrode. This increases conductivity while at the same time protecting the electrode particles.
One battery with an RGO-coated vanadate-borate glass electrode exhibited an energy density of around 1000 watt-hours per kilogramme.
As per lead researcher, Dr Semih Afyon, the resultant battery will be able to charge a phone from 1.5 to 2 times more.
“This would be enough energy to power a mobile phone between 1.5 and two times longer than today’s lithium-ion batteries,” Afyon said.
