Battery breakthrough from NTU Singapore
Posted by freedomforall 9 years, 5 months ago to Technology
Excerpt:
"With our nanotechnology, electric cars would be able to increase their range dramatically with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars," added Prof Chen.
"Equally important, we can now drastically cut down the waste generated by disposed batteries, since our batteries last ten times longer than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries."
The long-life of the new battery also means drivers save on the cost of a battery replacement, which could cost over USD$5,000 each.
Easy to manufacture
According to Frost & Sullivan, a leading growth-consulting firm, the global market of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is projected to be worth US$23.4 billion in 2016.
Lithium-ion batteries usually use additives to bind the electrodes to the anode, which affects the speed in which electrons and ions can transfer in and out of the batteries.
However, Prof Chen's new cross-linked titanium dioxide nanotube-based electrodes eliminate the need for these additives and can pack more energy into the same amount of space.
"Manufacturing this new nanotube gel is very easy," Prof Chen added. "Titanium dioxide and sodium hydroxide are mixed together and stirred under a certain temperature. Battery manufacturers will find it easy to integrate our new gel into their current production processes."
"With our nanotechnology, electric cars would be able to increase their range dramatically with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars," added Prof Chen.
"Equally important, we can now drastically cut down the waste generated by disposed batteries, since our batteries last ten times longer than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries."
The long-life of the new battery also means drivers save on the cost of a battery replacement, which could cost over USD$5,000 each.
Easy to manufacture
According to Frost & Sullivan, a leading growth-consulting firm, the global market of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is projected to be worth US$23.4 billion in 2016.
Lithium-ion batteries usually use additives to bind the electrodes to the anode, which affects the speed in which electrons and ions can transfer in and out of the batteries.
However, Prof Chen's new cross-linked titanium dioxide nanotube-based electrodes eliminate the need for these additives and can pack more energy into the same amount of space.
"Manufacturing this new nanotube gel is very easy," Prof Chen added. "Titanium dioxide and sodium hydroxide are mixed together and stirred under a certain temperature. Battery manufacturers will find it easy to integrate our new gel into their current production processes."
Earlier this year, Japan Power Plus released information on its technology, dual carbon batteries. A lot of the same benefits but without the lithium. Would reduce the capital expense to producing items requiring batters. I don’t understand how you can have an anode and a cathode produced from the same element and still call it a battery but on the merits of the press-release, it sound promising.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/18250...
Good article. In regards to the Price of Lithium, if memory serves, there are mining operations all over, but China is one of the larger suppliers. Since we just read a report offered on this site of China's impending food shortage, perhaps a deal could be reached. American farmers could have a valuable commodity for their market... I also wonder how trade policies, duties, and exchange rates effect the price here... Still, if the lifespan is long enough the price per cycle may be attractive.
Regards,
O.A.
http://www.ornl.gov/ornl/news/news-relea...
An interesting article. I would like more details. The real advantage comparing the articles is in the low cost of sulfur due to abundance. They seem to be comparing them to today's commonly used Lithium batteries, not this new variety... What is missing is the lifespan, cycles, charging time, relative size for a given storage capacity... I wonder how a side by side comparison of these metrics would shake out...
Either way it is a promising development.
Respectfully,
O.A.
As with Lithium batteries the cycle life depends on construction. Lithium can be very high, but the cost to make them that way is also very high. In the end sulfur batteries cost less to make and can also have a higher life then currently available lithium batteries but at a lower cost and much safer, in term of flamability. Also there is less impact on the enviroment (mining, processing, etc..) sulfur is very common and easy to get at, lithium is a rare eath. Lithium is used to a small degree in the sulfur battery but no where near the amount in a std. lithium battery. Another point is: the sulfur battery is much easier to recycle and rejuvinate.
On the surface I agree with the exchange instead of recharge but the issue with that is you always get the question, "Who is responsible for the bad batteries?" And what if a location has more going out then in, or vice-a-versa? From a business perspective, there would have to be a fee involved that would be enough to cover those and several other logisticical issues, or some semblance of a structured service fee. Because you would also need to invest in testers to test a battery before it goes back out. They could help by putting in electronics to monitor a batteries usage (abuse) and life expectancy based on its cycles of use. Of course that would add to a batteries cost and some of the monitors would inevitably go bad, thusly losing their data. The entire infrastructure to support and exchange program would be doable but someone has to pay for it. When someone has to pay their own money for the consequences of their abuse of a battery they tend to take better care of it.
Thank you. I will do that search. You seem to be well versed on battery technology. I appreciate that. One thing: Apparently these batteries types are much more sophisticated as far as testing goes. My local auto parts store has a hand held device that he simply clips on to the terminals of my car battery and it tells him instantly if it is low, has a bad cell, or is shorted out... I'm old school... I remember dressing points in my ignition.. Those were the days. :)
In any case, with fast charging, there will be no need for exchange.
Regards,
O.A.
work over there! -- j
I live close to Battelle Memorial Institute. I worked there one sumer in the High
Energy Laser lab while going to college. It is one high security place. They would not even let you go down any other hallway then where you are supposed to be, and rightly so, there is a lot of research going on there.
square miles -- we'd need to try to find out where
this battery work is being done. -- j
And by a strange twist I do have ownership of a large plot of land in Colorado, lol, in an isolated valley near Twin Lakes. No joke. Its been in the family for 100 years. But doubt setting a factory there is practical. More likely location would be between Denver and the Denver airport (distribution via land and air).
by private memo, here in the gulch. -- j
facility a few years ago and still have contacts. -- j
Also, why are we allowing massive unskilled illegal immigration while at the same time not encouraging immigration for the brightest and those that get advanced degrees in our colleges? Our policies make no sense, unless the goal is to lose any edge we once possessed...
Obama is saying, "Hey, NTU, you didn't build that. Your government did."
Interchange the speaker with Hillary, who last week gave a similar speech and then a day later claimed that what she said was not what she really said. Or something like that.
Watch idiots still vote for her.
Aren't there high capacity charging systems already in production that could be adapted? I know my alternator in my car can charge a traditional battery with many more amps and auto repair stations have high capacity fast charge 110 volt to 12 volt units... It would seem this obstacle would be easier to overcome than the battery technology has been...
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Respectfully,
O.A.
The side benefit of electric cars is no maintenance, which most don't realize. We have the range-extending generator on the Volt, but only runs intermittently and only after the 45 mile battery is discharged. As a result, it gets very little use and we've only had a couple of oil changes on it in over 2 years. Braking is aided by the regenerative system on each wheel, so even the brake pads don't get a lot of use. It's wonderful for the wife's car to basically work and not have to be maintained by me on the weekends, kind of like using a toaster. I don't miss that stuff at all.
A better battery though would dramatically improve the car though.
Get em outta the way!
Jan