Discovery alert! Nanotechnology Initiative yields results

- Edmonton, Alberta

Discovery alert! Nanotechnology Initiative yields results

Conflat cells (shown above) enable reliable electrochemical testing at higher temperatures.

Researchers at the NRC's Nanotechnology Research Centre and the University of Alberta's Department of Physics have managed to double the charge storage capacity of a lithium-ion battery electrode material. How? By testing at elevated temperatures (from 40 to 150 °C, instead of only at room temperature), they were able to overcome nucleation barriers and slow diffusion in lithium-aluminium electrodes and, for the first time, reversibly form new lithium-rich phases. Details of their investigations are available in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society.

This discovery is part of the NRC-University of Alberta Nanotechnology Initiative. This collaboration project on in-operando characterization of nanostructured energy storage materials is one of 9 projects currently underway to expand Canadian nanotechnology capacity and foster breakthrough research.

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