Li-ion batteries: news, progress, history and background

"It’s crazy how little we’re funding energy" - Bill Gates Energy research is underfunded by a factor of two, Gates said, referring to the amount of current U.S. government investment in energy research. Underfunding energy research means there is a higher risk that we won’t be able to deliver the needed energy breakthroughs, said Gates. Gates pointed out that funding basic research naturally has a high failure rate: Potentially 90 percent of the projects in ARPA-E won’t make a dent in the future of energy technology, he said. “Look at the battery companies [at ARPA-E], and if you can find the one out of ten that will breakthrough, then great, go invest in it,” said Gates. by Earth2Tech by Katie Fehrenbacher Related articles Bill Gates: The lack of energy funding is crazy (gigaom.com) Bill Gates on Insanity and Energy R&D (news.sciencemag.org) Bill Clinton: We need to boost the budget for energy (gigaom.com) Inventing the Energy Future: Bill G...

The moment of truth:   The Birth of the Lithium-Ion Battery The lithium-ion battery is currently the predominant power source for mobile phones, laptop computers, and many other portable electronic devices, and is being used increasingly in electric vehicles. Its inventor, A. Yoshino, describes the process by which the lithium-ion battery was first developed (picture shows the first test-tube cell) and made commercially practical. Successful safety tests marked the turning point in this work. from Angewandte Chemie International Edition by Akira Yoshino Related articles Envia Claims 'Breakthrough' in Lithium-Ion Battery Cost and Energy Density (InnovationToronto.com) New Lithium-Ion Battery Could Reduce Cost of EVs, Increase Range (cleantechies.com) Cabot launches new performance additive for advanced Lithium-ion batteries (greencarcongress.com) Rechargeable Batteries (ourdailygreenlife.blogspot.com)

Hydrocarbon polymer electrolyte membrane (Photo credit: SandiaLabs ) The highly heat-resistant separator coated with Teijinconex meta-aramid The new separator, which is coated with a fluorine-based compound, is designed for use in laminated-type LIBs. Such LIBs, which feature a gel polymer electrolyte, are used in tablets and smartphones. The new separator readily adheres to the polymer electrolyte and is highly resistant to oxidation, resulting in LIBs that offer greater safety, higher output and longer lifespans. The highly heat-resistant separator coated with Teijinconex meta-aramid maintains its shape even at 250℃. In spot heating tests, Teijin has verified that the separator does not break down even at 350℃. Also, thanks to the separator's superior resistance to oxidation, it enables unprecedented capacity and energy density for liquid-electrolyte cylindrical LIBs used in products including PCs and vehicles. These LIBs also achieve higher levels of safety and longer life...

GBL-based electrolyte for Li-ion battery: thermal and electrochemical performance   Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry: Volume 16, Issue 2 (2012), Page 603-615 Thermal stability, flammability, and electrochemical performances of the cyclic carbonate-based electrolytes [where γ-butyrolactone (GBL) is a main component (at least 50 vol.%) among of EC and PC with LiBF 4 ] have been examined in comparison with contemporary (EC/EMC, 1:3 vol.%, 1 M LiPF 6 ) electrolyte by DSC, accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), AC impedance, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). This study shows that GBL-based electrolytes have perfect thermal stability and will improve Li-ion battery safety (including flammability) without performance trade-off with the accurate combination of active materials and separator. Several types of negative electrode materials (such as hard carbon, MCMB, and SWF) have been tested to evaluate GBL-based electrolyte influence on SEI formation and battery performanc...

According to DigiTimes Apple may increase battery capacity of upcoming high-end version of new iPad The battery capacity for the high-end version of Apple's new iPad - due to be unveiled in January 2012 - will be increased to 14,000mAH compared to 6,500mAH used currently, according to industry sources. Apple's battery suppliers Simplo Technology and Dynapack declined to comment on matters concerning clients. {Apple is set to unveil two versions of its next-generation tablet, one for the high-end segment and one for the mid-range segment, the sources said.}? Meanwhile, the penetration rate of lithium-polymer batteries such as those used in iPad 2 is expected to reach 15% in 2012 compared to 5% in 2011, the sources estimated. Global production of lithium-polymer battery cells will top 400 million units in 2011, and the prices of the cells are expected to remain higher in 2012 after being hiked by 20% in the second quarter of 2011, the sources indicat...

Disclosed is a separator. The separator includes a planar non-woven fabric substrate having a plurality of pores, and a porous coating layer formed on at least one surface of the non-woven fabric substrate. The porous coating layer is composed of a mixture of filler particles and a binder polymer. The filler particles include conductive positive temperature coefficient (PTC) particles composed of a mixture of conductive particles and a low melting point resin having a melting point lower than that of the non-woven fabric substrate. Due to the presence of the conductive PTC particles, the porous coating layer can be imparted with a shutdown function against thermal runaway. In addition, the porous coating layer exhibits appropriate electrical conductivity. Therefore, the separator is suitable for use in a high-capacity electrochemical device. Inventors: Pil-Kyu Park, Jong-Hun Kim, Soon-Ho Ahn, Je-Young Kim Original Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD. Application number: 13/173,902; Publication...

from Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry Abstract   Organic ionic plastic crystal (OIPC) electrolytes are among the key enabling materials for solid-state and higher than ambient temperature lithium batteries. This work overviews some of the parameter studies on the Li|OIPC interface using lithium symmetrical cells as well as the optimisation and performance of Li|OIPC|LiFePO 4 cells. The effects of temperature and electrolyte thickness on the cycle performance of the lithium symmetrical cell, particularly with respect to the interfacial and bulk resistances, are demonstrated. Whilst temperature change substantially alters both the interfacial and bulk resistance, changing the electrolyte thickness predominantly changes the bulk resistance only. In addition, an upper limit of the current density is demonstrated, above which irreversible processes related to electrolyte decomposition take place. Here, we demonstrate an excellent discharge capacity attained on LiFePO 4 |...

RSC - J. Mater. Chem. latest articles Nicola Pinna Seung-Ho Yu, Andrea Pucci, Tobias Herntrich, Marc-Georg Willinger, Seung-Hwan Baek, Yung-Eun Sung, Nicola Pinna A one-pot template-free solvothermal synthesis of crystalline Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   nanostructures based on the “benzyl alcohol route” is introduced. The 1–2 µm sized nanostructured spherical particles are constituted of nanocrystallites in the size range of a few nm. This is the first report showing that crystalline Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   can be directly obtained by soft chemistry solution routes. The as-synthesized crystalline nanostructures show good lithium intercalation/deintercalation performances at high rates (up to 30 C) and good cycling stabilities. Annealing the nanostructures at 750 °C improves the performance, which approaches the theoretical capacity of Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   with no noticeable (less than 5%) capacity loss after 200 cycles. (Paper from J. Mater. Chem.) Seung-Ho Yu, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, ...

There are disclosed electrolytes comprising solutions of lithium salts with large anions in polar aprotic solvents with a particular concentration of background salts. The concentration of the background salts is selected to be equal or close to the concentration of a saturated solution of these salts in the aprotic solvents used. The electrolytes disclosed can be used in chemical sources of electric energy such as secondary (rechargeable) cells and batteries comprising sulphur-based positive active materials. The use of such electrolytes increases cycling efficiency and cycle life of the cells and batteries. Inventors: Vladimir KOLOSNITSYN, Elena KARASEVA  Application number: 13/153,157 Publication number: US 2011/0236766 A1 Filing date: Jun 3, 2011 Fig. 1 Charge/discharge capacity fade of standard Li-S cell Fig. 9 Charge/discharge capacity fade of Li-S cell with a saturated electrolyte solution as 1.7M of LiClO4 in methylpropylsulfone @ 0.25C ch/dch Fast...

Recovered LiCoO2 as anode materials for Ni/Co power batteries : Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. , 2012, Advance Article DOI : 10.1039/C1CP21936G, Communication Dawei Song, Yanan Xu, Cuihua An, Qinghong Wang, Yaping Wang, Li Li, Yijing Wang, Lifang Jiao, Huatang Yuan  Recovered LiCoO 2 material is investigated as anode materials for Ni/Co power batteries for the first time. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Via RSC - Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. latest articles ) Related articles Advanced Electrodes for Better Li-Ion Batteries (technologyreview.com) Advanced Electrodes for Better Li-Ion Batteries (technologyreview.in)

New high-power Si–graphene composite electrode for Li-ion batteries : Northwestern Univ. researchers report on a new high-power Si–graphene composite anode material for Li-ion batteries in the journal Advanced Energy Materials . With current technology, the capabilities of a lithium-ion battery are limited in two ways: energy capacity is limited by the charge density, and charge rate is limited by the speed at which the lithium ions can make their way from the electrolyte into the anode. The Northwestern research team combined two techniques to combat both these problems. First, to stabilize the silicon in order to maintain maximize charge capacity, they sandwiched clusters of silicon between the graphene sheets. This allowed for a greater number of lithium ions in the electrode while utilizing the flexibility of graphene sheets to accommodate the volume changes of silicon during use. Rendering of the composite electrode with sandwiched Si clusters and in-plane defects. Clic...

Disclosed are a non-aqueous electrolyte solution for a lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery comprising the same. The non-aqueous electrolyte solution for a lithium secondary battery may include difluorotoluene having a lowest oxidation potential among components of the non-aqueous electrolyte solution. The lithium secondary battery may have improvement in basic performance including high rate charge/discharge characteristics, cycle life characteristics, and the like, and may remarkably reduce swelling caused by decomposition of an electrolyte solution under high voltage conditions such as overcharge. Inventors: Jong-Ho Jeon, Yong-Gon Lee, Seung-Woo Chu, Shul-Kee Kim, Hyun-Yeong Lee, Jae-Deok Jeon Application number: 13/164,107 Publication number: US 2011/0244339 A1 Filing date: Jun 20, 2011 Related articles Fluoride shuttle increases storage capacity: Researchers develop new concept for rechargeable batteries (sciencedaily.com) Fluoride shuttle ...

New patent application from LG Chem : Provided is an electrochemical device comprising multi-stacked unit cells of full cells or bicells and a separation film disposed therebetween, whereby the separation film and separators are alternately stacked between electrode layers with an opposite polarity. Herein, as the separation film is formed of a material having a higher thermal shrinkage rate than that of the separator, the thermal stability of the device can be secured by stable induction of shutdown via thermal behavior of the separation film, without causing short-circuiting due to thermal shrinkage of the separator even when a temperature of a battery suddenly rises by internal or external factors. Application number: 13/107,122  Publication number: US 2011/0217586 A1 Filing date: May 13, 2011  Inventors: Je Young KIM, Pil Kyu PARK, Soonho AHN Original Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.   O riginal separator placement New separator placement Also some Claims sug...

AIST team developing Li-air capacitor-battery targeted for EVs : A team from Japan’s AIST ( National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology ) reports on the development of a “lithium–air capacitor–battery based on a hybrid electrolyte ” in a paper in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science . The team had earlier investigated a hybrid electrolyte lithium–air battery, in which a lithium anode in a non-aqueous electrolyte and an air-catalytic cathode in an aqueous electrolyte solution were separated by a ceramic LISICON film. ( Earlier post .) As reported then, the lithium-air cell showed a continuous cathode discharge capacity of 50,000 mAh g -1 (per unit mass of the carbon, catalyst and binder). By comparison, conventional Li-ion batteries offer 120-150 mAh g -1 (active material + conduction assisting carbon + binder), and conventional lithium-air cells offer 700-3,000 mAh g -1 . In the present work, a capacitor electrode was put in the non-aque...

Fast Lithium-Ion Conducting Thin-Film Electrolytes Integrated Directly on Flexible Substrates for High-Power Solid-State Batteries : By utilizing an equilibrium processing strategy that enables co-firing of oxides and base metals, a means to integrate the lithium -stable fast lithium-ion conductor lanthanum lithium tantalate directly with a thin copper foil current collector appropriate for a solid-state battery is presented. This resulting thin-film electrolyte possesses a room temperature lithium- ion conductivity of 1.5 × 10 −5 S cm −1 , which has the potential to increase the power of a solid-state battery over current state of the art. (Via Advanced Materials ) Related articles Fluoride shuttle increases storage capacity (eurekalert.org)

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia A breakthrough in components for next-generation batteries could come from special materials that transform their structure to perform better over time. A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy 's Argonne National Laboratory , led by Argonne nanoscientist Tijana Rajh and battery expert Christopher Johnson, discovered that nanotubes composed of titanium dioxide can switch their phase as a battery is cycled, gradually boosting their operational capacity. Laboratory tests showed that new batteries produced with this material could be recharged up to half of their original capacity in less than 30 seconds. By switching out conventional graphite anodes for ones composed of the titanium nanotubes, Rajh and her colleagues witnessed a surprising phenomenon. As the battery cycled through several charges and discharges, its internal structure began to orient itself in a way that dramatically improved the battery's performance. …...

Well-dispersed bi-component-active CoO/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites with tunable performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries : Chem. Commun. , 2012, Advance Article DOI : 10.1039/C1CC15322F, Communication Meixia Li, Ya-Xia Yin, Congju Li, Fazhi Zhang, Li-Jun Wan, Sailong Xu, David G. Evans CoO/CoFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites, calcined from hydrotalcite precursors, exhibit tunable cycle performances and rate capabilities underlain by well-dispersed bi-component active phases. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Via RSC - Chem. Commun. latest articles ) Related articles Graphene nanocomposite a bridge to better batteries (sciencedaily.com) Scientists Discover Promising Experimental Nanocomposite Fire Retardant (azonano.com) Graphene-based nanocomposite to boost battery performance (news.bioscholar.com) NaturalNano Receives Allowance for Crucia...

Porous SnO2/layered titanate nanohybrid with enhanced electrochemical performance for reversible lithium storage : Chem. Commun. , 2012, Advance Article DOI : 10.1039/C1CC14769B, Communication Joo-Hee Kang, Seung-Min Paek, Jin-Ho Choy Porous heterostructure of SnO 2 -layered titanate nanohybrid has been synthesized via an exfoliation/reassembling process. This hybridization gives rise to a remarkable enhancement of discharge capacity with a good capacity retention. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Via Science JournalFeeds ) Related articles Researching graphene nanoelectronics for a post-silicon world Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers use supercomputer to study effects of stacking graphene nanoribbons (nanotech-now.com)

Sumitomo earlier reported that it has achieved energy densities as high as 290 Wh/L with the new battery. A drawback to the general class of molten salt batteries (e.g., the ZEBRA battery , or GE’s Durathon sodium-metal halide batteries, earlier post) has been the need for high operating temperatures to keep the salt molten. Being non-volatile and non-flammable , and with high ion concentrations, molten salt makes an excellent battery electrolyte and can offer high energy and power densities. In a joint project with Kyoto University , Sumitomo developed a molten salt with a melting point as low as 57 °C. Using this salt, it developed the new molten-salt electrolyte battery. Since it comprises only nonflammable materials, the new battery will not ignite on contact with air from outside, nor is there thermal runaway from overcharging or temperature rises in the battery. For this reason, Sumitomo says, there is no need for waste-heat storage or fire- and explosion-proof equipment, so ...

Lux Reseach has just ranks the players in the lithium-ion battery markets on both sides of North Pacific. The strong winner is LG Chem Power, while Altair Nanotechnologies, International Battery, Valence, Ener1, and A123 are ranked as "Caution" and "Strong Caution." China is home to a number of top contenders. Although the list from Lux Research is not complete it shows strong competition on the market and suggest to make strong partnerships. Related articles Nanotubes, sulfur expand battery storage (go.theregister.com) Better lithium-ion batteries are on the way (sciencedaily.com) Superior Anode For Lithium-Ion Batteries Developed (tech.slashdot.org) Sulphur gives battery 10x more storage (holykaw.alltop.com) Revolutionary conducting polymer enables silicon use as next generation of lithium-ion battery anodes (physorg.com) A stretchy binder material can Boost Battery Storage by 30% (nextbigfuture.com)