Created a battery that charges in 5 minutes and does not overheat: graphene helped

The heat spreader based on graphene effectively removes heat from the battery, warming it before or during charging.

The Solidion company from Dallas (USA) has developed a patented system that provides fast charging in any climatic conditions. Interesting Engineering writes about it.

The system uses a graphene-based heat sink. It quickly heats up batteries before or during charging, and an integrated cooling system activates during discharge to prevent overheating. According to the company, the technology enables fast charging of the electric car in any weather, especially overcoming the current limitations of batteries in cold climates. Solidion plans to bring it to the market within 2-3 years.

To compete with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), rapid charging of an electric vehicle must be independent of the weather and take approximately the same time as refueling a gasoline-powered vehicle.

Temperature variations in different seasons and geographic areas can make it difficult to quickly charge the batteries of electric cars, because they can react differently.

The average winter temperature in most of northern Europe and half of the United States is below 0°C. Fast charging in low temperatures is not possible with any of the EV batteries available today.

According to the company, to meet the urgent need of the electric vehicle market for fast charging in any weather, its technical group has developed and patented a method of fast charging of battery cells or blocks without harming their integrity. This strategy allows the batteries to operate safely and avoid thermal overclocking issues.

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To do this, the Solidion system uses a graphene-based heat sink that effectively removes heat from the battery, heating it up before or during charging.

Graphene is extremely efficient for this purpose, having a thermal conductivity of 5300 W/mK, far superior to copper (410 W/mK) and being four times lighter.

When the battery is used, for example, to power an electric vehicle, the system switches to cooling mode, drawing heat away from the battery to prevent overheating. The heat sink directs excess heat to the cooling system, providing effective temperature control and protecting battery performance.

The Solidion system automatically switches between heating during charging and cooling during use, ensuring safe, fast charging across a range of temperatures.

To address the expected graphite shortage of 1.4 million tonnes/year by 2028, Solidion has also developed a cost-effective process to produce anode graphite from sustainable sources, including biomass and recycled materials. The company wants to place the US among the top 10 graphite producers in the world, implementing its plan for sustainable graphite production, with the ultimate goal of becoming a world leader.

Solidion specializes in solid-state batteries and high-capacity anodes. Its two main product lines — these are three varieties of solid-state batteries and improved anode materials prepared for increased performance. They include Gen 1 high-silicon lithium-ion cells, Gen 3 lithium-sulfur cells, and Gen 2 anode-less lithium-metal cells. Each type of battery uses its own solid electrolyte, which is easily synthesized from a polymer or polymer-inorganic composite.< /p>

Solidion solid-state batteries can be brought to market quickly because they are compatible with current production capacity.