Scientists have discovered a new material called niobium tungsten oxide that could be fully charged in minutes

A newly discovered set of materials could enable rapid battery charging, increasing the likelihood of a smartphone being fully charged in minutes and accelerating the adoption of major cleantechnologies such as electric cars and solar power, researchers have shown.

The rate at which a battery charges depends in part on how fast positively charged particles (called lithium ions) move towards the negative electrode, where they are then stored. One of the limiting factors in our ability to make fast-charging "super" batteries is the speed at which lithium ions travel through ceramic media.

One possible solution is to shrink each material by using nanoparticles. But nanoparticles are expensive and complicated to make. So scientists have been looking for alternative materials to get around this problem.

Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge have identified a group of materials called niobium-tungsten oxides that allow lithium ions to move at super-fast speeds, meaning batteries can be charged quickly.

"Niobium tungsten oxide is fundamentally different," said Kent Griffith, author of the study, published in the journal nature. Discovered in 1965, this material has a rigid, open structure and has a larger particle size than other commonly used battery materials.

To measure the motion of lithium ions in these unusual mediums, the researchers used techniques similar to those found in MRI scanners. They found that lithium ions move hundreds of times faster in these materials than in traditional ceramic electrode materials.

Another advantage of these alternative materials is that they are cheap and easy to manufacture. "These oxides are easy to manufacture and require no additional chemicals or solvents," Griffith said.

Optimized batteries could revolutionize electric cars and solar-grid storage, two green technologies.

Clare Grey, who authored the study, says the next step is to optimize the use of the material throughout the battery, which can be recycled in the time and miles needed for an electric vehicle. "For example, an electric bus can be quickly recharged at a station," Clare added.

Dan Brett, professor of electrochemical engineering at university college London, who was not involved in the work, praised the finding. "it's very exciting, especially for the improvements it makes to battery performance," he said. "the really smart thing about this work is the insight into a measurement mechanism. To measure how fast lithium ions are moving through the material."

"The technology will also further optimize these materials, so we can expect new improvements in [battery] power, energy and life in the future," Brett added.