This new cathode is then packaged normally, with an electrolyte and graphite anode, to create the lithium-ion battery capable of fully charging in less than a minute.

Seoul, Korea, Aug 19 (Whowired) -- A research team led by Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology has developed a technology to cut recharge time by a 30th to a 120th compared to the existing lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.

One of the main problems with conventional rechargeable batteries is that they take longer time to recharge as their physical volume gets bigger.

In contrast, the approach developed by Prof. Cho Jae-Pil and his scientists takes the cathode material and soaks it in a solution containing graphite. Then, by carbonizing the graphite-soaked cathode material, the graphite turns into a dense network of conductive traces that run throughout the cathode. This new cathode is then packaged normally, with an electrolyte and graphite anode, to create the lithium-ion battery capable of fully charging in less than a minute.

The UNIST team's new technology is an achievement made through a project supported by the Ministry of Education & Science Technology's "New Fusion-type Technology Development Program." Prof. Cho's findings are also reported in a prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition on August 8.

Sean Chung (press@whowired.com)