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

Unlike dense ceramic coatings applied as a separate layer on competing separators, PPT’s products contain ceramic particles that are thoroughly distributed throughout their chemically inert PVDF polymer. The particles reside primarily in the pore walls, leaving a large and uniform open pore structure that enables ions to pass through with less resistance and less heat generation.  * More power in high-current applications  * Reduced separator shrinkage  * Increased thermal stability with less cell degradation  * Extended cycle life * Higher bake-out and operating temperatures  * Improved puncture and abuse resistance    Although, the application of such separator may improve safety, however according to presented test data it will have minimal effect, or not significant. Depends on battery package, it may have serious explosion (due to electrolyte flammability) at much lower temperature.  

Polypore’s Celgard Files Suit Against Sumitomo Over Batteries - Bloomberg : "" The complaint, filed Feb. 22 in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina, claims Sumitomo is infringing a patent issued in 2002 for a separator in high-energy rechargeable batteries. The separators prevent short circuits that can reduce efficiency and limit safety problems from overheating. (Via Bloomberg .)

Power bank battery dismantled and reviewed (backup battery for iPho ne produced in China) Before we start some explanation and disclaimer . Here is a short review, based on observations and simple calculation of one of "power bank" or backup battery for iPhone , which may be found in any shop. I did not intend to do this review simply because I did not buy that device and not going to buy such things in a future (ne ar future ). This example device I have got from my frie nd after its stoped working and actu ally the pla s tic shel l become opened (Fig. 2) . This is not a denunciation or exposure for certain product or certain manufacturer or certain country. I hope t his review will make you more skeptical and realistic about what you see and what you get. All dismantle and photos, as well calculation and conclusions done by me.   Although I dismantle Li -ion batteries (LIB) of any shape and size many times for many years since I have work with it for the l...

Teijin CNF Korea begins production of LIELSORT separators for Li-ion batteries : Teijin CNF Korea Co., Ltd., an Asan-based joint venture between Teijin and major Korean film processor CNF, has begun commercial production of LIELSORT, a Teijin-developed separator for lithium ion secondary batteries (LIBs). Of the two types of LIELSORT-branded separators, Teijin CNF Korea will initially produce one type coated with a fluorine-based compound that achieves superior adhesion to the polymer electrolyte and is highly resistant to oxidation, resulting in LIBs that offer higher output while maintaining stable high voltage. The company also plans to soon begin producing the second type, a highly heat-resistant separator coated with Teijinconex meta-aramid. As part of market expansion strategies for LIELSORT, Teijin has established a wholly owned subsidiary in Seoul called Teijin Electronics Korea Co., Ltd. to sell both separators. This production and sales network, which has close connecti...

Lithium's Prospects - Seeking Alpha : As gas prices reach a staggering $4 per gallon, with early predictions in the $5 range for summer, many consumers who have been reluctant might now be considering the electric alternatives to keep their wheels turning. Lithium-ion batteries, the technology in hybrid electric cars and consumer electronics, are just one part of the lithium market but could be where the most growth and potential lie. Lithium is used in a wide range of applications, from nuclear weapons to medicine. As of 2010, the most common use for lithium was as flux for glass and ceramics (29% of lithium usage in the USA), with the battery industry trailing closely (27%). The most notable use of lithium-ion batteries is in purely electric and hybrid electric vehicles, but lithium also powers cell-phones, iPods, iPads, laptop computers, and other consumer electronics. Some of its other uses can be seen in high-heat lubricating greases, air purification, certain optical devices...

Panasonic to begin mass-production of long-life Li-ion battery system for solar-powered homes in Europe : Panasonic Corporation will begin mass- production this month of a compact, secure and long-life lithium-ion battery system the company has developed for European homes. This marks the first time for the company to produce in volume such a system designed for Europe. The lithium-ion battery system consists of the Panasonic battery module with nominal capacity of 1.35 kWh and a battery management system designed to control charge and discharge of the battery in accordance with customer needs. The battery system stores excess energy generated from the photovoltaic (PV) power system during peak hours of PV generation and discharges the energy as needed, providing a solution as a household battery storage system that helps self-consumption of solar-generated power. It will also enable households to reduce the dependence on grid power and facilitate the further spread of green ener...

"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...