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operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, lithium (Li) ion, batteries black phosphorus, commercial vehicle batteries
NSRRC User Cheng-Hao Chuang together with Beamline Scientists Ting-Shan Chan and Ying-Rui Lu Contributed Critically to a Collaborated Research of Novel Materials for High-Rate Vehicle Batteries in Science
2020/10/16
Schematic of BP-graphite particles/polyaniline.
An international team coordinated by the user of National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Professor Cheng-Hao Chuang from the Tamkang University, has developed novel materials for high-rate lithium (Li) ion batteries that can be charged in minutes. Prof. Chuang discovered that the use of black phosphorus (BP) as the active anode for high-capacity Li storage could realize ultra-fast and convenient charging for e-mobility. It takes less than two minutes to recharge the battery for an incredible energy storage with a driving range of 560 kilometers, surpassing gasoline-powered cars’ long-standing advantages of quick-refueling and long driving ranges. The outstanding research result was published in the world’s top journal Science on October 9th, 2020.

Prof. Chuang has been engaging in a cross-country academic research collaboration since 2017. His collaborators include Prof. Hengxing Ji from University of Science and Technology of China; Prof. Xiangfeng Duan from University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Ting-Shan Chan and Dr. Ying-Rui Lu from NSRRC; and the Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry 2019, Prof. John B. Goodenough from the University of Texas at Austin. In this paper entitled “Black phosphorus composites with engineered interfaces for high-rate high-capacity lithium storage”, the team used the silicon drift detector and the technique of operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy at TLS 16A1 of NSRRC, to measure the P K-edge X-ray absorption and discovered how this fast-charging mechanism worked. The research paper focuses on the synthesis of the novel BP composite, an easy-to-manufactured anode material. Being practically applicable to the commercial vehicle battery system, this research is considered as a huge breakthrough for the battery-charging technology.