The extended lifespan of the batteries is 10 times longer compared to existing lithium-ion batteries and could have a wide-ranging impact on all industries, especially for electric vehicles, where consumers are put off by the long recharge times and limited battery lifespans.

Using NTU's technology drivers of electric vehicles could save money on battery replacement costs while being able to recharge their cars in a matter of minutes.

Commonly used in mobile phones, tablets, and in electric vehicles, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries usually last about 500 recharge cycles which is equivalent to two to three years of typical use, with each cycle taking about two hours for the battery to be fully charged.

In the NTU-developed battery, the traditional graphite used for the anode (negative pole) in lithium-ion batteries is replaced with a new gel material made from titanium dioxide which is an abundant, cheap and safe material found in soil. It is commonly used as a food additive or in sunscreen lotions to absorb harmful ultraviolet rays.

Naturally found in a spherical shape, the NTU team discovered a way to transform the titanium dioxide into tiny nanotubes, which is a thousand times thinner than the diameter of a human hair. This speeds up the chemical reactions taking place in the new battery, allowing for superfast charging.

Invented by Associate Professor Chen Xiaodong from NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering, the science behind the formation of the new titanium dioxide gel was published in the latest issue of Advanced Materials.

Prof Chen and his team will be applying for a Proof-of-Concept grant to build a large-scale battery prototype. With the help of NTUitive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTU set up to support NTU start-ups, the patented technology has already attracted interest from the industry.

Prof Chen expects that the new generation of fast-charging batteries will hit the market in the next two years. It also has the potential to be