Scientists make key breakthrough that could solve major issue in electric vehicles: 'High-capacity'

New battery technology could enable quicker charging times and higher energy density, according to Interesting Engineering.

Researchers at Tohoku University have been looking at ways to incorporate fullerene into battery anodes. Typically, an anode uses carbon in the form of graphite as a housing for lithium ions. 

Fullerene is essentially carbon atoms arranged in a rounded cage-like structure. It is stable enough to withstand high temperatures and has the potential to improve energy transfer, but the material has typically lacked the structural strength for use in batteries. The latest research has paired fullerene with magnesium to provide better structural stability while retaining the qualities that make it attractive for electronics manufacturers. 

Finding and deploying better battery technology is a vital step to weaning off of dirty energy sources like coal and gas. By being able to store renewable sources like wind and solar, it's possible to cover lulls in production. Even small improvements in performance can make a big difference when dealing with utility-scale energy storage. 

By accelerating the adoption of renewable energy sources with improved storage and displacing gas and coal, it's possible to reduce atmospheric pollution from generators, stabilize increasingly destructive weather patterns, and reduce the costs of those disasters. 

Of course, utilities aren't the only customers that stand to benefit from better batteries. They can be quality-of-life improvements for electric vehicle owners and even impact portable electronics. Similar incremental upgrades can be seen with the adoption of graphene in batteries, for example. 

Researchers were keen to continue their work and bring fullerene anodes to the mass market. 

"Our next steps are to expand this covalent-bridging strategy to a broader range of fullerene and carbon frameworks, with the goal of creating a family of stable, high-capacity anode materials suitable for fast-charging batteries," said researcher Hao Li.

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