{"id":1965,"date":"2026-06-12T18:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1965"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:05:00","slug":"unlv-physicists-test-x-ray-method-to-regenerate-lithium-ion-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1965","title":{"rendered":"UNLV physicists test X-ray method to regenerate lithium-ion batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LAS VEGAS (FOX5) \u2014 UNLV physicists say they have found a way to regenerate batteries in electric cars, phones and laptops.<\/p>\n

Read more Cochise County crews rescue hiker<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead of replacing expensive lithium-ion packs, they are testing a method that uses X-rays to restore battery capacity \u2014 potentially adding years of life and keeping more waste out of landfills.<\/p>\n

How the process works<\/h2>\n

Over time, lithium-ion batteries lose range because ions get stuck in tiny fractures inside the cell.<\/p>\n

Professor Michael Pravica and his team at UNLV\u2019s Bigelow Physics Building are using powerful X-rays to free those trapped ions and clean up the battery\u2019s internal surfaces without opening it up.<\/p>\n

Pravica said X-rays act like a microscopic chisel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized that X-rays would be a good way to force out lithium ions that get caught in microscopic fractures as these batteries degrade,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we would be able to free them back into conduction instead of being stuck and reducing capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE ON FOX5: <\/b>UNLV researcher reports major progress in Alzheimer\u2019s drug development<\/b><\/p>\n

He said the technology could one day let dealerships or fleets restore battery health during routine service, instead of swapping out entire packs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

Read more Last words of man fatally shot after argument at Walmart were \u2018I love you,\u2019 wife says<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at things like delivery trucks that are using electric vehicles as we speak, their fleets, it would be a wonderful benefit for them to basically revitalize and extend the life and extend the range, the driving range of their vehicles,\u201d Pravica said.<\/p>\n

If X-ray regeneration scales up, it could also keep old batteries out of landfills, reducing toxic leaks and fire risks while helping electric vehicles and other battery-powered gear hold their value longer, Pravica said.<\/p>\n

The research builds on Pravica\u2019s work with X-rays dating back to 2003. He said he realized X-rays could drive chemical reactions after watching crystals react during an experiment 11 years ago.<\/p>\n

The team recently returned from conducting experiments at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon.<\/p>\n

Researchers hope to have a proof-of-concept facility in Las Vegas within about a year. The company X-REGEN has been formed under UNLV\u2019s encouragement to develop the technology. <\/p>\n

Read more El Nino is here and scientists fear it\u2019ll be big, bad and costly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UNLV physicists say they\u2019re testing a way to restore lithium-ion battery capacity using powerful X-rays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nUNLV physicists test X-ray method to regenerate lithium-ion batteries - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1965\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UNLV physicists test X-ray method to regenerate lithium-ion batteries - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UNLV physicists say they\u2019re testing a way to restore lithium-ion battery capacity using powerful X-rays.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1965\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T18:05:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"UNLV physicists test X-ray method to regenerate lithium-ion batteries\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-12T18:05:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965\"},\"wordCount\":400,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b1b5c5f8e2afe1ed81b949e08a4996b3.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1965\",\"name\":\"UNLV physicists test X-ray method to regenerate lithium-ion batteries - 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