Lithium-ion batteries are dominating the current battery market as they are widely used in many products such as laptops, smartphones, electric vehicles, etc. The limitation of lithium-ion batteries is that when the temperature drops, they charge more slowly and store less energy.

Realizing that the problem lies in the battery's electrolyte, Professor Xiulin Fan's team at Zhejiang University developed a new electrolyte that can transport lithium ions. Combined with the solvent fluoroacetonitrile, the researchers achieved a battery with superior ion conductivity at room temperature, and good charging and discharging at temperatures ranging from minus 80 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius.

Tested at minus 70 degrees Celsius, its performance beat some alternatives. The new battery maintained performance for more than 3,000 charge-discharge cycles at 6 degrees Celsius.

"New research allows lithium-ion batteries to charge and operate at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees, and the battery can reach 80% capacity after 10 minutes of charging," Professor Fan emphasized.

The new research, published in the journal Nature, suggests that the technology could be generalized and extended to other metal-ion battery electrolytes, which could be beneficial for grid operators in cold regions that need to balance energy production during the winter.