A Korean research team says it has solved the biggest technical hurdle between today’s electric vehicles and 12-minute charging times.
The breakthrough targets dendrites. These are the needle-shaped crystals that grow inside lithium metal batteries during fast charging. They have prevented advanced cells from leaving the lab by shortening their lifespan and increasing the risk of fire.
Now researchers at KAIST have developed an intelligent coating that rearranges itself. It ensures that lithium ions move smoothly even under extreme electrical load.
A self-adjusting layer that mimics traffic flow
The team added thiophene to the battery electrolyte. This creates a protective barrier with a flexible electronic structure.
Think of it like an intelligent traffic system that changes lanes when cars merge. As lithium ions move, the charge distribution within the layer changes. It creates optimal paths in no time.
Simulations confirmed that this design outperforms existing commercial additives. The result was a uniform charge with currents of more than 8 mA per cm². That’s more than double what is typically considered high in the industry.
Practical tests confirm the mechanical stability
The researchers didn’t just simulate success. They used in situ atomic force microscopy to observe the battery at the nanometer scale during operation.
Even at high power, lithium deposited evenly on the surface and removed evenly. This visual evidence confirms the mechanical reliability required for real-world driving conditions.
The technology also works with common cathode materials such as lithium iron phosphate and lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide. This means it could be integrated into existing electric vehicle battery production lines without a complete overhaul.
What’s next for ultra-fast electric vehicles?
This work addresses fundamental instability at the electronic structure level. It is not just a matter of material optimization.
By enabling stable, high-current operation, it opens the door to finally using lithium metal batteries in practice. The team specifically mentions electric vehicles with an extremely long range as their immediate goal.
But the applications go even further. Next-generation urban air mobility and energy storage systems could also benefit from the density and speed this design enables.
The next step will be the transition from demonstration to mass production. This process determines how quickly you can see the 12 minute charge at an actual charging station.
