Cheap material could radically improve battery charging speed, say scientists

Discovery could accelerate adoption of electric cars and solar energy, as well as helping to recharge your smartphone in minutes

A newly identified group of materials could help recharge batteries faster, raising the possibility of smartphones that charge fully in minutes and accelerating the adoption of major clean technologies like electric cars and solar energy, say researchers.

The speed at which a battery can be charged depends partly upon the rate at which positively charged particles, called lithium ions, can move towards a negatively charged electrode where they are then stored. A limiting factor in making "super" batteries that charge rapidly is the speed at which these lithium ions migrate, usually through ceramic materials.