A new manufacturing method for lithium-ion batteries could lead to smaller, lighter batteries that can be charged in just seconds. The approach only requires simple changes to the production process of a well-known material.
A prototype battery made using the new technique could be charged in less than 20 seconds - in comparison to six minutes with an untreated sample of the material. Most commercial batteries use a material made up of lithium and cobalt, but lithium iron phosphate does not suffer from overheating - something that has affected laptop and mp3 player batteries in a number of incidents.