Exxon pioneering Li-Ion battery tech

[Scotsman]

Pretty cool stuff for fans of "Green" tech...

November 28, 2007 10:00 AM Eastern Time
ExxonMobil Chemical's New Film Technologies Help Power Next Generation Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ExxonMobil Chemical and ExxonMobil's Japanese affiliate, Tonen Chemical, have developed new film technologies for lithium-ion batteries with the potential to improve the energy efficiency and affordability of next generation hybrid and electric vehicles.

These new film technologies are expected to significantly enhance the power, safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries, thereby helping speed the adoption of these smaller and lighter batteries into the next wave of lower-emission vehicles.

“By developing new film technologies that allow lithium-ion batteries to meet hybrid and electric vehicle requirements, ExxonMobil Chemical is helping to make next generation vehicles more energy and cost efficient, as well as lighter,” said Jim P. Harris, senior vice president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company. “We are currently working with industry-leading battery manufacturers to expand the boundaries of current hybrid and electric vehicle applications.”

Separator film is an integral part of battery system design and critical to overall performance. ExxonMobil Chemical’s new technology platform builds on twenty years experience in lithium-ion battery separators, applying advanced polymer and process technologies with flexibility to tailor products to battery manufacturer requirements.

ExxonMobil Chemical will present the new film technologies at the 23rd Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition (EVS-23) in Anaheim, Calif. on December 2-5, 2007.

About ExxonMobil Chemical

ExxonMobil Chemical is a global leader in technology, product quality and customer service with petrochemical manufacturing and/or marketing operations around the world. For more information visit: www.exxonmobilchemical.com2.

About Tonen Chemical

Tonen Chemical is an ExxonMobil affiliate and the world’s second-largest producer of separator film for lithium-ion batteries. For more information visit: http://www.tonengeneral.co.jp/apps/t...ish/index.html.

Note to Editors:

The term "ExxonMobil Chemical" refers collectively to some or all of the companies affiliated with Exxon Mobil Corporation, and/or itself, which have chemical manufacturing and/or marketing operations around the world.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...Id=-2147483648

[Scotsman]

Nano tech multiplies battery range x10

Nanowire battery holds 10 times the charge of existing ones

Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices.

The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers.

"It's not a small improvement," Cui said. "It's a revolutionary development."

The breakthrough is described in a paper, "High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires," published online Dec. 16 in Nature Nanotechnology, written by Cui, his graduate chemistry student Candace Chan and five others.

The greatly expanded storage capacity could make Li-ion batteries attractive to electric car manufacturers. Cui suggested that they could also be used in homes or offices to store electricity generated by rooftop solar panels.

"Given the mature infrastructure behind silicon, this new technology can be pushed to real life quickly," Cui said.

The electrical storage capacity of a Li-ion battery is limited by how much lithium can be held in the battery's anode, which is typically made of carbon. Silicon has a much higher capacity than carbon, but also has a drawback.

Silicon placed in a battery swells as it absorbs positively charged lithium atoms during charging, then shrinks during use (i.e., when playing your iPod) as the lithium is drawn out of the silicon. This expand/shrink cycle typically causes the silicon (often in the form of particles or a thin film) to pulverize, degrading the performance of the battery.

Cui's battery gets around this problem with nanotechnology. The lithium is stored in a forest of tiny silicon nanowires, each with a diameter one-thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper. The nanowires inflate four times their normal size as they soak up lithium. But, unlike other silicon shapes, they do not fracture.

Research on silicon in batteries began three decades ago. Chan explained: "The people kind of gave up on it because the capacity wasn't high enough and the cycle life wasn't good enough. And it was just because of the shape they were using. It was just too big, and they couldn't undergo the volume changes."

Then, along came silicon nanowires. "We just kind of put them together," Chan said.

For their experiments, Chan grew the nanowires on a stainless steel substrate, providing an excellent electrical connection. "It was a fantastic moment when Candace told me it was working," Cui said.

Cui said that a patent application has been filed. He is considering formation of a company or an agreement with a battery manufacturer. Manufacturing the nanowire batteries would require "one or two different steps, but the process can certainly be scaled up," he added. "It's a well understood process."

Source: Stanford University

http://www.physorg.com/printnews.php?newsid=117212815

[Cubanaso]

LOL, I was about to post that....those two things together might mean that the end of the gas engine is neigh....

Oh, and on top of that they also (sorry no link) are working on "quick charge systems" which is moving battery tech where they need it to go. If cars with battery packs can have a range of about 150-250 miles, up that by 10X and you have SUPER range thanks to nano-tech.

Then....enters another competitor:

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/35387/118/

[Scotsman]

The combustion engine is far far far from dead, people have got to stop buying into the hysteria.

As for Li-ion batteries being the end all answer: Far far far from it. Numero uno; no one knows how long these things will last, let alone the expense of replacement. Dos; there are huge issues with charging these batteries; Say eveyrone goes plug-in in 20 years (the majority of folks and the majority of cars on the market), what happens when everyone comes home and plugs-in at 5pm and drains the local power supply because everyone is charging at the same time??? Right. This is technology in it's infancy with many unanswered questions.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Put up a few Nuclear plants, pop a couple thousand Wind turbines in the plains...etc. j/k

We've all got to understand that as we enter a new era in automotive history - Things will radically change to suit the needs of an ever-growing Global population. But not as you might think. No longer can ONE single energy/fuel source supply us. So...as GM is preparing for, there will be a whole host of things that will drive our vehicles. Ethanol being big. Li-ion being big. Hydrgen being a toss-up, etc. - And you can bet on new ones to appear as we go.