Researchers figure out how to get fresh lithium into batteries

Researchers have tested unusual electrode materials, like chromium oxide and an organic polymer, leading to lighter batteries but reduced cycle life. A key finding was the rejuvenation of lithium-iron phosphate batteries that lost capacity due to usage. Using LiSO2CF3, they restored batteries to over 99% of their original charge capacity, even after nearly 12,000 cycles. However, lithium-iron phosphate cells are heavy and mainly used in stationary applications. Modifications are necessary for rejuvenation, which may impact battery capacity per volume, raising concerns about the feasibility in everyday electronics.

In their testing, they use a couple of unusual electrode materials, such as a chromium oxide (Cr 8O 21) and an organic polymer (a sulfurized polyacrylonitrile). Both of these have significant weight advantages over the typical materials used in today's batteries, although the resulting batteries typically lasted less than 500 cycles before dropping to 80 percent of their original capacity.

But the striking experiment came when they used LiSO 2CF 3 to rejuvenate a battery that had been manufactured as normal but had lost capacity due to heavy use. Treating a lithium-iron phosphate battery that had lost 15 percent of its original capacity restored almost all of what was lost, allowing it to hold over 99 percent of its original charge.

Read at Ars Technica