ELE Times December 2016 Electronics News in India | Online Electronics Mag | Page 60

Technology Innovations in Li-ion batteries sparked excitement among battery alchemists L ithium-ion Batteries (LIB) has been preferred over other alchemies, for being a lowmaintenance battery that requires no prearranged cycling to prolong the battery's life and also the self-discharge is less than half compared to nickel-cadmium, making lithium-ion well suited for modern fuel gauge applications. Lithium-ion cells cause little harm when disposed. Due to these efficiencies, other than commercials, LIBs is being also preferred for military, battery electric vehicle and aerospace application becoming a common replacement for the lead acid batteries that have been originally used for golf carts and utility vehicles. Instead of heavy lead plates and acid electrolyte, the trend is to use lightweight lithium-ion battery packs that can provide the same voltage as lead-acid batteries, so no modification to the vehicle's drive system is required. Solid Energy Systems, a company founded by the alumnus of MIT, is formulating to commercialize a innovative rechargeable lithium metal battery offering double the energy capacity of the lithium ion batteries that power many of today’s consumer electronics. The company has developed an “anodefree” lithium metal battery with several material improvements that make it twice as energy-dense, yet just as safe and longlasting as the lithium ion batteries used in smartphones, electric cars, wearables, drones, and other devices. “With two-times the energy density, we can make a battery half the size, but that still lasts the same amount of time, as a lithium ion battery. Or we can make a battery the same size as a lithium ion battery, but now it will last twice as long,” says Hu, CEO of Solid Energy, who coinvented the battery at MIT. In October 2015, the company demonstrated the first-ever working ELE Times | 60 | December, 2016 prototype of a rechargeable lithium metal smartphone battery with double energy density, earning an investment of around $12 million. At half the size of the lithium ion battery used in an iPhone 6, it offers 2.0 amp hours, compared with the lithium ion battery’s 1.8 amp hours. Nexeon, a shoot-out of Imperial College London– is working on batteries with significantly higher energy density and longer lifetime between charges. The product is expected to deliver extended