Battery tech starts catching up to high tech
Nanotechnology is giving batteries, often considered a weak link in electronics, a much-needed boost.
from the March 15, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Better, safer battery for laptops – and motorcycles
The change lengthened the life of a lithium-ion battery from 750 recharges to between 10,000 and 15,000 recharges. It also made the battery safer. Graphite can cause shorts that create fires, like those that caused Dell and Apple to recall laptop batteries last summer.
A123 Systems, maker of the battery in Ball's rope ascender, used a different nanomaterial to improve the lithium-ion battery. Researchers developed nanophosphate, phosphate in particles a few billionths of a meter in size. Most safety issues in batteries occur during charging, and nanophosphate is much less prone to such problems. So A123 replaced the cobalt oxide in lithium-ion cells with nanophosphate.
"The fact that it's safe is not enough to make a compelling new application," says Yet-Ming Chiang, founder of A123 and a materials-chemistry professor at MIT. "The other critical performance attribute is that nanophosphate can deliver extraordinarily high power while being safe."
Bill Dubé, a member of the KillaCycle electric motorcycle drag-racing team, used A123 batteries to create an electric motorcycle that goes from zero to 60 in 1.4 seconds.
On a more practical level, DeWalt used A123 batteries in a new line of cordless power tools. They are twice as strong as their corded counterparts and five times as strong as the battery-powered ones they replaced. The battery lasts for 2,000 recharges.
The number of recharges is of particular interest to the auto industry. Unlike personal electronics, which are expected to last only a few years before consumers upgrade to the next- generation gadget, cars must last at least a decade. With high numbers of recharges a prominent feature of both A123 and Altair's batteries, both companies have begun working to develop better hybrid and electric options.
RSS feed