. Space Industry and Business News .




.
ENERGY TECH
New material possible boon for lithium ion batteries
by Staff Writers
Oak Ridge TN (SPX) Sep 12, 2011

File image.

Batteries could get a boost from an Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovery that increases power, energy density and safety while dramatically reducing charge time.

A team led by Hansan Liu, Gilbert Brown and Parans Paranthaman of the Department of Energy lab's Chemical Sciences Division found that titanium dioxide creates a highly desirable material that increases surface area and features a fast charge-discharge capability for lithium ion batteries. Compared to conventional technologies, the differences in charge time and capacity are striking.

"We can charge our battery to 50 percent of full capacity in six minutes while the traditional graphite-based lithium ion battery would be just 10 percent charged at the same current," Liu said.

Compared to commercial lithium titanate material, the ORNL compound also boasts a higher capacity - 256 vs. 165 milliampere hour per gram - and a sloping discharge voltage that is good for controlling state of charge.

This characteristic combined with the fact oxide materials are extremely safe and long-lasting alternatives to commercial graphite make it well-suited for hybrid electric vehicles and other high-power applications.

The results, recently published in Advanced Materials, could also have special significance for applications in stationary energy storage systems for solar and wind power, and for smart grids. The titanium dioxide with a bronze polymorph also has the advantage of being potentially inexpensive, according to Liu.

At the heart of the breakthrough is the novel architecture of titanium dioxide, named mesoporous TiO2-B microspheres, which features channels and pores that allow for unimpeded flow of ions with a capacitor-like mechanism. Consequently, a lithium ion battery that substitutes TiO2-B for the graphite electrode charges and discharges quickly.

"Theoretical studies have uncovered that this pseudocapacitive behavior originates from the unique sites and energetics of lithium absorption and diffusion in TiO2-B structure," the authors write in their paper, titled "Mesoporous TiO2-B Microspheres with Superior Rate Performance for Lithium Ion Batteries."

Paranthaman noted that the microsphere shape of the material allows for traditional electrode fabrication and creates compact electrode layers. He also observed, however, that the production process of this material is complex and involves many steps, so more research remains to determine whether it is scalable.

Other authors of the paper are Zhonghe Bi, Xiao-Guang Sun, Raymond Unocic and Sheng Dai. The research was supported by DOE's Office of Science, ORNL's Laboratory Directed Research and Development program, and ORNL's SHaRE User Facility, which is sponsored by Basic Energy Sciences.

Related Links
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com




 

.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries








. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



ENERGY TECH
Corvus Energy Lithium-Polymer Batteries Pass Lloyd's Register Certification Tests
Richmond, Canada (SPX) Sep 08, 2011
Corvus Energy's sophisticated 6.5 kWh lithium-polymer batteries passed the requirements of Lloyd's Register Type Approval certification tests. Lloyd's Register North America, Inc., a member of the Lloyd's Register Group and one of the world leaders in assessing business processes and products to internationally recognized standards, assessed the AT6500 module according to the applicable st ... read more


ENERGY TECH
Samsung files patent complaint against Apple in France

Two radiation generators mark major milestones in helping protect the US

Apple wins key German patent case against Samsung

Honeywell Wins Ground Systems and Mission Operations At Goddard

ENERGY TECH
Environmental Testing of New Military Communications Satellite Completed

Lockheed Martin AMF JTRS Team Delivers Joint Tactical Radio to AFRL For C-130J And C-5 Integration Risk Reduction

ASC Signal Will Support L-3 Communications with Multi-Band Transportable Communications for a U.S. Government Agency

Lockheed Martin Introduces Virtual Capability That Connects Interpreters with Battlefield Troops

ENERGY TECH
Russia beefs up Plesetsk space center funding

Kazakhstan won't ban Russian rocket launches from Baikonur

SwRI selected as payload integrator for three NASA suborbital flight opportunities research providers

Ariane 5's upper payload completes its integration at the Spaceport

ENERGY TECH
Americans tap into location-based services: study

Northrop Grumman Business Unit Astro Aerospace Delivers Antennas to Lockheed Martin for GPS III

Researchers Improving GPS Accuracy In The Third Dimension

ASA Search and Rescue Software Used To Locate Capsized Boat Off Ireland

ENERGY TECH
Lockheed Martin Upgrades Air Traffic Control System Over New York Airspace

Court rules EU states can ban excessive aircraft noise

China will need 5,000 new planes by 2030: Boeing

IATA says July air traffic up but warns of gloomy outlook

ENERGY TECH
Innovation is step toward digital graphene transistors

Research gives crystal clear temperature readings from toughest environments

The quantum tunneling effect leads electron transport in porphyrins

Microscope on the go: Cheap, portable, dual-mode microscope uses holograms, not lenses

ENERGY TECH
Ultrafast substorm auroras explained

Getting the picture via satellite

TerraSAR-X monitors gas storage centre all the way from space

Orbital Wins ICESat-2 Earth Science Satellite Program Contract

ENERGY TECH
Apple's China 'suppliers' under fire for pollution

Philippines to dismantle deadly garbage dump

Greenpeace finds toxic chemicals in branded clothing

Greenpeace Copenhagen gatecrashers get wrists slapped


Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement