Battery Power - Spring 2015 - (Page 32)

Industry News Fuji Pigment Unveils Aluminium-Air Battery Rechargeable by Refilling Salty or Normal Water Fuji Pigment Co. Ltd. has developed a new type of aluminium-air battery rechargeable by refilling salty or normal water and having a modified structure that ensures longer battery lifetime. Due to fossil fuel depletion and the air pollution arising from its combustion, there is urgent demand for renewable, clean fuel alternatives for future energy supply. Although commercialized rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are widely used in mobile phones, laptop computers and similar electronic devices, their energy density is still insufficient to permit their use in electric vehicles at an industrial level with economical cost. The highest energy storage technologies faced by recent researchers are the metalair batteries. Several metal-air batteries such as lithium, iron, aluminium, magnesium and zinc-air have been investigated due to their promising energy densities. Among them, aluminium is an abundant, attractive anode material for energy storage and conversion because of its high specific capacity, highly negative standard electrode potential. In addition, aluminium is the most recycled metal in the world and is economically cheap. The aluminum-air battery has a theoretical specific energy level of 8,100 Wh/kg and has the second largest capacity among various types of potential secondary batteries. Theoretical specific energy of a commercialized lithium-ion battery is 120 to 200 Wh/kg. Therefore, the aluminium-air battery possesses theoretical capacity more than 40 times as large as that of a lithium-ion battery. A major barrier to commercialization has been the high corrosion rate of aluminium during the electrochemical process. In addition, byproducts such as Al2O3 and Al(OH)3 accumulate at electrodes, hindering further battery reaction. Regarding this obstacle, Dr. Ryohei Mori at Fuji Pigment Co. Ltd. has invented the new type of aluminium-air battery. He has modified the aluminium-air battery structure by placing ceramic and carbonaceous materials between aqueous electrolyte and electrodes as an internal layer. Owing to this modified structure, anode corrosion and byproduct accumulation were suppressed, which resulted in longer battery lifetime. The newly invented aluminium-air battery can work just by refilling salty water or normal water once in a while. Aluminium is an abundant, cheap and safe material, which can be applied for metal-air batteries. Therefore, battery prices can be cheap. The new battery can be manufactured and work in an ambient atmosphere because it is stable in ambient air conditions. Moreover, there is no need to worry about explosion or flammability like a lithium-ion battery. All materials (electrode, electrolyte) are safe and cheap, and can be made easily even in the house kitchen. Theoretically, the aluminium-air battery has the second largest capacity next to a lithium-air battery which is the strongest secondary battery. (lithium-ion battery: 120-200 Wh/kg, aluminium-air battery: 8,100Wh/kg, lithium-air battery: 11,400 Wh/kg) The aluminium-air battery has theoretical capacity more than 40 times that of a lithium-ion battery. Revenue from Materials for Advanced Batteries is Expected to Total More than $132 Billion from 2014-2023 A recent report from Navigant Research examines the global materials supply chain of the advanced batteries industry, including global market forecasts for capacity, shipments, and revenue for key raw materials inputs for advanced batteries through 2023. Since 1991, when the first mass-produced lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries emerged, the market for advanced batteries and shipments of the materials used to manufacture them has steadily increased. Today, with growing demand for batteries in stationary, portable, and transportation applications, a variety of new advanced battery chemistries are replacing the long-used lead-acid and primary alkaline chemistries, spurring industry-wide growth and transformation. 32 Battery Power * Spring 2015 www.BatteryPowerOnline.com http://www.BatteryPowerOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - Spring 2015

Battery Power - Spring 2015
Batteries: An Integrated Solution
Preventing Counterfeiting: Challenges and Selection Criteria for An Ideal Authentication Solution
Extending Battery Life
Batter Management with an Intelligent Battery Sensor is Vital to The Success of Future Automotive Designs
Batteries
ICs & Semiconductors
Materials
Testing & Monitoring
Chargers
Components
Conference Preview: Critical Power 2015
Research & Development
Industry News
Application Profile
Calendar of Events
Marketplace

Battery Power - Spring 2015