Since 1991 and for over 26 years, lithium-ion batteries have been the most effective and productive. Though they underwent a lot of improvements and modifications, such batteries have a significant drawback – it takes them much time to get charged. Even now, the most modern batteries are charging for about an hour. Samsung has used a new material called graphene (a two-dimensional carbon obtained by forming a crystal lattice with a single layer of atoms) to design its new patented batteries. This approach has reduced the required time for charging to 12 minutes. An additional bonus of using graphene is a 45% higher capacity compared to classic batteries.
The research division of Samsung Electronics offers an innovative technology of synthesizing ball-shaped graphene, more similar to popcorn. The process of graphene formation involves silicon oxide (SiO2), which increases the electrical conductivity of the battery and provides resistance to high temperatures. “Graphene balls” are analogous to the cathode and anode in lithium-ion batteries.
Graphene has a high electrical conductivity, and the speed of electric current propagation is 140 times greater than that of silicon. This feature reduces battery charging time by a factor of 5. The technology of manufacturing graphene batteries is developed in Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT). Given that graphene batteries do not lose their properties and are capable of operating at a temperature of + 60°C, they can be used for electric cars.
The application for a patent has already been submitted in the US and South Korea simultaneously, but nothing has been reported about the time of launching converted batteries.
