Potato starch solves the problem of fast charging electric vehicles

 South Korean researchers have developed a technique to increase the fast-charging stability of silicon, which is being eyed as the next-generation battery electrode material.

According to the Korea University of Technology and Education on Wednesday, silicon is in the spotlight as the next-generation electrode material to increase the mileage per charge of electric vehicles.

However, batteries using silicon are facing difficulties in commercialization due to their lack of stability and rapid volume expansion, especially when charged at high speeds.

A team of researchers led by Professor Soo-min Park of the Department of Energy, New Materials and Chemical Engineering at Korea University of Technology and Education, Professor Inho Nam of Jungang University, and Professor Hyunwook Lee of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) focused on the unique properties of potato starch, which is commonly encountered in everyday life.

If you mix potato starch with a little water to make a starch suspension and hit it hard with your fist, it feels like a hard solid without splashing water. This starch suspension is called 'oobleck' and is used in body armor because it can absorb strong impacts.

Using oobleck's unique properties, the team developed a new electrode binder technology.

When charging at high speeds, silicon, the electrode material, expands very rapidly inside the battery, which is why amylose and amylopectin, the main components of potato starch, instantly harden and suppress it.

"There have been many researchers' efforts to improve the stability of silicon cathode materials for batteries, and this is one of them," Park said, explaining that the technology could be used to make electric vehicles that travel further and charge faster.

A paper describing the research was published last month in the online edition of the international journal Advanced Energy Materials.

Sources : YTN New, May. 06, 2024