March goes out like a Li-Ion

Toshiba preps minute-charge 'miracle' battery (The Register)

Toshiba has developed a Lithium-Ion battery capable of being charged to 80 per cent of its full capacity in under 60 seconds. Filling it up takes just "a few more minutes", the company boasted today.

Toshiba 'one-minute charge' Li-ion batteryThat's considerably faster than today's Li-ion rechargeables which can take 1-4 hours to reach 80 per cent capacity, and even longer to fill completely.

Toshiba also claimed the new cell offers a greater longevity than today's Li-ion batteries, losing only one per cent of its capacity after 1000 charge cycles, according to the results of its own charge-discharge testing.

... The company lauded the new battery's eco-credentials. With such a fast recharge time, it consumes less energy than today's Li-ion cells, leading to reduced carbon-dioxide emissions, Toshiba claimed.

The secret is the use of "nano-particles" to "prevent organic liquid electrolytes from reducing during battery recharging. The nano-particles quickly absorb and store vast amount of lithium ions, without causing any deterioration in the electrode". More here

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