Prof. Cho Jae-phil of the Department of Applied Chemistry at Hanyang University said he and his team of researchers had developed cathode materials that can boost the storage capacity of lithium secondary batteries eight-fold. The batteries are commonly used in notebook computers, mobile phones and other portable electronic devices.

Lithium secondary batteries have been hailed as the most energy-efficient storage devices for their size. Electricity flows through the batteries as positive lithium ions move toward negative zones, while negative electrical particles move to positive zones. But graphite, which is used in cathodes, can store a limited amount of lithium ion, cutting usage time to around 2 hours.

Prof. Cho said the eight-fold increase in storage capacity was achieved by using silicon instead of graphite.

The results of the research have been published in the October online edition of renowned chemical journal “Angewandte Chemie” in a section called “HOT Papers” that showcases notable papers.

(englishnews@chosun.com )