Development opportunity
Chemists at the University of Oxford, UK, have discovered that oxide chalcogenide-based materials can make lithium batteries more viable, and at lesser cost. Layering of these electrode materials provides optimal cell capacities, power and cyclability, features that could be used to improve the battery power of hybrid cars, mobile phones and laptops.
This work is the subject of a UK patent application, and tech transfer office Isis is looking for commercial partners interested in further optimising and marketing this technology.
Lithium ion battery sales are due to rise to $5 billion by 2012 due to the increasing demand for portable devices. These batteries with intercalated chalcogenide electrode materials replace the more expensive cobalt and manganese battery electrodes, which can lose up to 20 per cent of their performance in one year.
The main advantages of using these low cost electrode materials as the cathode (positive electrode) are low capacity fade, robustness after repeated change/discharge cycles and higher charge storage capacity.
The active region in these newly synthesised materials is sandwiched in-between the oxide layers. Discharging involves full replacement of copper ions by lithium ions and extrusion of elemental Cu to the surface, whereas charging involves removal of lithium and reinsertion of copper.
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