Partnership signed to market rapid-charge battery technology

A licensing agreement signed between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and US firm Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. is expected to exploit a technology said to potentially enable the charging of electric vehicle batteries within minutes. Under the terms of the agreement, announced on July 19, Xerion has been granted the exclusive right to bring the University’s ‘StructurePore’ battery-charging technology to market.

StructurePore technology was developed by Paul Braun, Ph. D., a member of the university’s Department of Materials, Science & Engineering and an officer and director of Xerion. Dr. Braun and his colleagues believe that the StructurePore technology has the potential to, for example, instantly charge cell phone batteries and charge laptops and electric cars within a matter of several minutes. The hope is that Xerion can utilise StructurePore technology to develop a commercially viable fast-recharge battery possessing a significantly higher electrical capacity than those presently available.

According to the University of Illinois, recent research and preliminary testing has demonstrated that the technology can function in both nickel metal hydride and lithium-ion based batteries. Xerion intends to direct future development of the technology by utilising higher power output chemistries. By focusing on these new electrode architectures, Dr. Braun and his Xerion colleagues believe they may have found a way to greatly reduce the polarisation effects of current batteries, thereby greatly increasing power and density. Xerion believes the development of a new prototype battery will contain what Xerion calls “superhighway-like” avenues for electrons and ions to move at ultra-fast speeds while filling a charge, thus resulting in rapid battery charging capability.

In addition to its automotive and consumer applications, Xerion CEO Robert Zavala views the US military as a key potential beneficiary of the new technology. “Batteries are a huge concern for soldiers overseas,” Zavala said. “We have started general discussions with representatives of the US Military services and the Department of Defense to ascertain their interest in using these batteries for military purposes. Xerion has received overwhelming encouragement from both.”

During July, Xerion employees from Illinois, Colorado and Ohio are moving into offices in the University of Illinois Research Park to collaborate with Dr. Braun on refinements to the technology.