. Medical and Hospital News .




.
ENERGY TECH
Bionics Reduces Battery Filling Time
by Staff Writers
Karlsruhe, Germany (SPX) Oct 20, 2011

Filling of electrodes after about 10s: Using the process developed by KIT, filling takes place very rapidly (right). The standard material without any wetting is shown on the left. (Photo: KIT)

The latest development by engineers of KIT is inspired by nature. To fill the porous electrodes of lithium-ion batteries more rapidly with liquid electrolyte, they use a physicochemical effect that also provides water transport in trees. The new process increases the throughput of battery production and reduces investment costs.

This and other innovations will be presented by KIT at the eCarTec International Electromobility Fair in Mu-nich (hall A5, stand 323) from October 18 to 20.

The electrodes inside modern batteries are as porous as a sponge. Unlike household sponges, however, pore size is in the micrometer range. As a result, the electrode has a very large surface area and provides lots of space for the chemical processes during electric charge and discharge. This is necessary for developing batteries for electric vehicles that can cover large distances and be recharged rapidly.

"But the pores have to be filled completely with the electro-lyte for optimized operation," explains Dr. Wilhelm Pfleging from KIT. The liquid electrolyte is the transport medium, in which the charged ions can diffuse between anode and cathode in the battery.

"Without electrolyte, there is no charge equalization inside and no electric current flow outside." The materials used in conventional high-energy batteries for automotive industry, however, show poor wetting of the electrode surface by the liquid electrolyte.

Consequently, much time and expenditure in battery production have been spent so far for making the electrolyte move into the smallest pore, if possible, and for maximizing battery performance.

The liquid is forced to enter the material by expensive and time-consuming vacuum or storage processes at elevated temperatures. "Our new process allows reduction of this time span from several hours down to a few minutes," confirms Pfleging.

To achieve this amazing effect, he relies on nature. By a mechanico-chemical tech-nology, the electrodes are modified such that the electrolyte is sucked into the battery as water is sucked into high trees.

As a re-sult, the electrolyte spreads very rapidly over the complete material and performance data of batteries based on this principle are much better.

"This novel electrode modification drastically reduces the technical expenditure and production times needed for filling lithium-ion cells with electrolyte," acknowledges Andreas Gutsch.

Under the Compe-tence E project, he coordinates the activities of more than 250 scientists at KIT to utilize the large innovation potential of a number of partial improvements and to further develop the entire system.

"Now, an interdisciplinary team of physicists, chemists, materials researchers, and process engineers has succeeded in making an important step towards low-cost batteries."

A patent has already been applied for. The process is planned to be integrated in the production lines of battery manufacturers as quickly as possible.

"We are pushing licensing to close the innovation gap between development and industry as rapidly as possible. Several renowned companies have already asked for license contracts. At KIT, we are conducting excellent research for application, not for the drawer."

Related Links
Karlsruhe
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com




.
.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries




.

. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



ENERGY TECH
Better Lithium-Ion Batteries Are On The Way From Berkeley Lab
Berkeley CA (SPX) Sep 28, 2011
Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, in smart phones, laptops, an array of other consumer electronics, and the newest electric cars. Good as they are, they could be much better, especially when it comes to lowering the cost and extending the range of electric cars. To do that, batteries need to store a lot more energy. The anode is a critical component for storing energy in lithium-ion ba ... read more


ENERGY TECH
A team for an emergency

Fukushima city begins decontamination of homes

Gas blast kills 11 miners in north China: Xinhua

Radioactive emissions from Fukushima plant fall: TEPCO

ENERGY TECH
Galileo - keeping time with atomic clocks

Factfile on Galileo, Europe's rival to GPS

Soyuz ready with Galileo satellites for milestone launch

Lockheed Martin Powers on the GPS III Pathfinder

ENERGY TECH
Friends in mind: Facebook network shows in brain structure

Children prefer cooperation

Differences in jet lag severity could be rooted in how circadian clock sets itself

100,000-year-old ochre toolkit and workshop discovered in South Africa

ENERGY TECH
Outraged conservationists demand US wildlife laws

US police shoot escaped lions, tigers and bears dead

Ohio animal rampage exposes lack of US laws

Endangered species? Should cheap phosphorus be first on an elemental 'Red List?'

ENERGY TECH
Intruder virus detected raise the alarm

Hospital superbug debugged

Nicaragua swine flu outbreak infects 32

Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death

ENERGY TECH
China vows to make society more accountable

China blames 'Dalai group' for Tibet unrest

Tibetan nun self-immolates in China: rights groups

China Communist Party meeting ends: Xinhua

ENERGY TECH
Kenya to pursue kidnappers into Somalia: minister

China urges investigation of Mekong attack

China summons diplomats after deadly Mekong boat raid

13 bodies found after China boat raid: Thai official

ENERGY TECH
Microsoft profit up on business software demand

China's Wen says reform key to solving EU crisis

China lets local governments issue bonds

HK leader says China may slow yuan rise: report


.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement