Advanced Battery Research Group

Rechargeable batteries have become quintessential energy storage devices in our lives. Evidently, their development has led to the widespread use of portable electronics such as smart phones and laptop computers. Most of the portable electronics in the market today incorporate rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as a power source, for their lightweight and small-size (and thus portable). The performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries has greatly improved over time. However, the technology now stands at a point where it has begun to face hurdles in meeting the world’s gigantic energy demands in a sustainable manner. The hurdles faced are due to the limitation associated with the minimum size/weight threshold and the projected paucity of the terrestrial reserves of lithium (as well as other constituent battery materials such as cobalt), hence its cost effectiveness.