Based on this site
EDIT-1
Added the functionality so that user can specify the animation duration(@Marzian comment)
You can try this:
function fadeIn(el, time) {
el.style.opacity = 0;
var last = +new Date();
var tick = function() {
el.style.opacity = +el.style.opacity + (new Date() - last) / time;
last = +new Date();
if (+el.style.opacity < 1) {
(window.requestAnimationFrame && requestAnimationFrame(tick)) || setTimeout(tick, 16);
}
};
tick();
}
var el = document.getElementById("div1");
fadeIn(el, 3000); //first argument is the element and second the animation duration in ms