Lithium-Ion Battery Life Could Reach 20 Years

PC World ^ | 2/5/10 | Chris Brandrick

[LibWhacker]

Japanese research and development firm Eamex claims to have found a new way to increase the typical average life of a high-capacity lithium-ion battery. Eamex's new technology will allow the demanding batteries to sustain over 10,000 recharges over the course of 20 years.

This rather dramatic increase in performance is made possible by new techniques such as a stabilization process of the battery's electrodes, which in-turn puts less stress on the battery's tin. This maintains the bonding of particles for a longer period of time and reduces the overall deterioration process. The result is a battery that lasts up to 10 times as long as most current batteries.

[LibWhacker]

Owners of Amazon's Kindle II will be very glad to hear this. The original batteries only last three months to a year with moderate use, cost $60.00 to replace, AND you have to send your Kindle in to the factory at your expense to have them changed. Too bad they never mentioned that in their advertising, grrrrrr! (Fair warning for those trying to decide whether or not to buy one.)

Anyhoo... some good news on the battery front.

[Paladin2]

Wunderbar, if true!

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Researchers Develop a Penny-Sized Nuclear Battery

Nuclear power has long provided steady energy sources for everything from homes to deep space probes. Now researchers have begun developing a tiny nuclear battery the size of a penny that could provide power in a smaller, lighter, and more efficient package.

Most people probably think of nuclear power that involves fission and the splitting of atoms. But nuclear power can also come from the natural radioactive decay of isotopes such as plutonium-238 — a much gentler process that has powered nuclear generators aboard spacecraft such as NASA’s Cassini probe.

Nuclear batteries have also powered more familiar devices on Earth, such as pacemakers. The higher cost of the batteries represents the tradeoff for a long-lasting power source that provides more energy for its size than chemical batteries.

“The radioisotope battery can provide power density that is six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries,” said Jae Kwon, an electrical and computer engineer at the University of Missouri.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-10/scientists-develop-penny-sized-nuclear-battery

[valkyry1]

Sure it will, just like the current lithium-ion batteries live up to all their hype.

[ShadowAce]

[AdmSmith]

Terrible about the change of the batteries for the Kindle, that info reduces the estimated sales.

There is another problem and that is the production and supply of Lithium. The price will go in one direction and that will reduce the use of Li-ion batteries as the price will increase.

Check out these articles http://www.galaxyresources.com.au/documents/LithiumforSecondbatterywilldryupin16years_000.pdf

and http://studentweb.stcloudstate.edu/lipa0401/Lithium..pdf

[SunkenCiv]

10,000 recharges over the course of 20 years.

Not bad. The batteries in Kindles probably have an undeserved bad reputation. The reason hardware makers use batts that can only be replaced in-factory is to increase the time between charges, thus the 17" MacBook Pro lasts a long time on a charge.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

The reason hardware makers use batts that can only be replaced in-factory is to increase the time between charges, thus the 17" MacBook Pro lasts a long time on a charge.

At least on the surface, that make absolutely no sense. The batteries used for a device and not the process required to replace them determines how long they last per charge. The process to replace them simply changes the convenience/cost.

[SunkenCiv]

Nope. The connectors and other space-eaters needed for user-replaceable batteries mean smaller batteries.