Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute uses 'multiscale particle' material to improve batteries

Gasgoo - The demand for battery technology inelectric vehiclesis growing.According to foreign media reports, new research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that the use of advanced materials including "multiscale particles" can improve batteries, such as increasing energy storage and range, as well as speeding up charging speed.

(Image credit: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

The multidisciplinary team demonstrated that the use of nanotechnology in batteries will improve battery performance.The researchers compared anodes and cathodes constructed from nanomaterials and microparticles and concluded that combining the two, especially with nanostructured microparticles, would help improve batteries for future energy needs.

Researcher Nikhil Koratkar said: "In our view, the next-generation active material particles used in future battery systems must be multiscale in nature. That is, they must be miniature, but have nanoscale features or properties, in order to keep pace with rising battery demand.”

The team set out to explore whether nanoscale properties could be incorporated into traditionally sized microparticles to improve battery performance.For example, tiny nanoscale tunnels can be engineered with microparticles to reduce charging time.Similarly, building microparticles with internal nanopores can improve battery life without compromising the battery's efficiency or storage capacity.Putting these material science innovations to work can significantly improve battery performance and advance battery development, Koratkar concluded.

"The next decade will be a highly active era," Koratkar said. "The battery field will succeed in figuring out how to fully optimize the construction of multi-scale particles for better-performing batteries."