lithium-ion

Research scientists at Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre (SLAC) have found using a different binding agent in the cathode resulted in five times longer lithium-ion battery life.

The researchers were looking at improving the cathode by using lithium sulfide instead of sulphur, it binds strongly with intermediate polysulfide molecules that dissolve out of the cathode and diminish the battery's storage capacity and useful lifetime.

The new binder – known as PVP – retained 94% of the energy storage capacity of cells over 100 charge/discharge cycles, compared to 72% for cells using a conventional binder. After 500 cycles, it maintained 69% capacity.

The professor who led the research, Yi Cui, said the PVP has a strong affinity for lithium sulfide and when combined they form a fine-grained lithium-sulfide/carbon composite. The previous binder material tended to clump together which hindered the lithium-ions movement, but the fine-grain composite allows lithium-ions to penetrate the active material in the cathode far more easily.

Renewable energy systems specialists Younicos, and Samsung SDI have announced a strategic partnership to build megawatt scale grid-tied battery parks. Younicos has specialist control strategies that will be combined with Samsung’s expertise in lithium-ion cells in the fully-automated battery parks.

These parks will play a crucial role in enabling the use of up to 100% wind and solar energy in existing grids and making renewable energy sources competitive. The battery parks will offer frequency regulation, voltage control, black starts, and short circuit power and have a construction time of 12 months.

Samsung has guaranteed the performance of the cells for 20 years.??

German-based Younicos has been trialing its first MW-scale battery system since December 2012, with success to prove the technical and commercial viability. Younicos focuses heavily upon using batteries as a means to store energy from renewable sources. It will partner with Samsung SDI for system integration and lithium-based systems in European markets including Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

Clemens Triebel, Founder and speaker of the board of Younicos explained the pairing with Samsung: “We’ve tested all industrially available lithium cells since 2007. Samsung provides the commercially most suitable cell technology for balancing short-term fluctuations in the grid. With Samsung’s unique 20-year guarantee, we are setting a new benchmark in this emerging market. Our battery parks will provide crucial grid stability functions much faster, more efficiently and cheaply than conventional fossil plants, allowing us to switch off coal and other thermal power plants when sufficient wind and solar power is available. Even though current market design does not yet reward these advantages, our battery parks can already compete in markets for frequency regulation and also provide additional system services.”??

The partnership will be extended to use Samsung’s lithium battery technology for Younicos’s current energy storage hybrid battery systems for off-grid renewable energy storage. 

Porous Power Technologies (PPT) has launched a line of ceramic-filled battery separators designed to improve the thermal stability and safety of the large-format lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, flat-cell consumer electronics, and high-power applications.

Under heat, the ceramic-filled polymer separators fuse together, leaving a thin film of ceramic particles between the electrodes and reduce the likelihood of hard shorts that can lead to thermal runaway and cell failure.

The ceramic particles are evenly distributed throughout the PPT chemically inert PVDF polymer. The particles reside primarily in the pore walls, leaving a large and uniform open pore structure that enable ions to pass through with less resistance and less heat generation.

The separators will provide greater power in high-current applications as well as having increased thermal stability with less cell degradation. The design offers reduced separator shrinkage, extended cycle life, higher bake-out and operating temperatures, and improved puncture and abuse resistance.

Chinese portable power company Powerocks has an ever growing range of mobile phone power boosting accessories. The high capacity portable batteries provide additional power for mobile and tablet devices that are compatible with USB ports.

The lithium-ion batteries can be charged form a mains power supply and then provide several re-charges for smart phones and tablet devices. The slim-line design of iPhones and the like mean the battery cannot be swapped with a spare, it must be recharged, resulting in companies coming up with novel ways to help users re-charge when travelling or away from mains charging.

The range includes the Stone series of portable batteries that offer between 5800mAh and 7800mAh capacity, which provide an additional three times power for devices; The Magicstick is the size of an AA cell and offers 2600mAH power on the go for phone devices. 

The ultimate in portable battery is built into the phone cover. The interestingly named Cheese Crystal is a protective case for the iPhone4 that has an 1800mAH lithium-ion battery incorporated in it to double potential battery life.

When charged, Powerocks range can power up to two devices, dependant on model, two or three times. The designs are complimentary to Apple style and show these chargers can be sleek and elegant but still pack a lot of power.

Aggreko has announced the appointment of David Taylor-Smith as its new director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, with effect from 11 March 2013.

Former British Army officer Taylor-Smith has spent most of his career in the security industry. The 51 year-old worked for G4S between 1998 and 2012, most recently in the role of Chief Operating Officer and Regional Chief Executive of UK, Ireland and Africa.

Taylor-Smith resigned from G4S last September after the company failed to provide an adequate number of security staff for the London Olympic Games, forcing British police and the British Army to intervene. The company eventually booked a loss of $108m on the project.

The appointment follows the management reorganisation announced by Aggreko last September, with the group being split into three regional units for the Americas; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia, Pacific and Australia (APAC), each managed by a main board director.

The Americas and APAC posts were filled by internal candidates - Asterios Satrazemis and Debajit Das, respectively.