Most electronic devices today possess lithium-ion batteries, and after a long period of use their quality will gradually begin to drop significantly compared to when they were new. A new invention from NTU will help overcome this problem with the ability to recover up to 95% of old battery life.
Rachid Yazami, a researcher at Singapore’s University of Technology Nanyang (NTU), has introduced the invention of a third electrode on a battery. This third pole is used to draw the lithium ions at the two remaining electrodes.
Prof Yazami, a 64-year-old French-Moroccan, told The Straits Times at NTU last Thursday that its greatest potential would be in electric vehicles.
“People don’t change their cars as often as they do smartphones – some would change a phone every two years, but you would want a car to last for more than 10 years,” said Prof Yazami, who is also the chief executive of battery technology firm KVI that was set up under NTU.
The repair process will last for 10 hours and will help to recover up to 95% of battery life compared to the factory. Rachid Yazami made a three-electrode battery park in June 2017 and is conducting field trials.
Rachid Yazami’s invention has attracted the attention of some of today’s leading manufacturers such as Apple, Panasonic, and Samsung at the Battery Conference in the United States in March 2017.