Batteries

Article (12)
  • Polymer may give better lithium batteries
    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.
  • Trusting the battery in critical situations
    A battery is a corrosive device that begins to fade the moment it comes off the assembly line. The stubborn and unpredictable behaviour of a battery has left many users in awkward situations.
  • ‘Nanoscoops’ may lead to better vehicle batteries
    A type of nanomaterial developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the US could be the next generation of high-power rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion batteries for electric vehicles, as well as batteries for laptop computers, mobile phones and other portable devices.
  • Lithium replaces petrol in British sports car
    High speed, high performance, high power - it used to mean high fossil fuel consumption.
  • Performing battery run-down tests
    Of all of the specifications of a battery-powered device, the battery run time is key. Every user wants their device to run longer on a charge. Therefore, to know the run time of your device is important, not only to represent the device to the end user, but as a means of knowing if improvements in power management within the device are successful at increasing battery run time.
  • Wax, soap clean up obstacles to better batteries
    A little wax and soap can help build electrodes for cheaper lithium-ion batteries, according to a study published in Nano Letters.
  • Building better batteries from the nanoscale up
    A nanostructured lithium-ion battery developed at Rice University may charge faster and last longer than Li-ion batteries in current use. Nanowires with a PMMA polymer coating solve a long-standing problem of forming ultrathin electrolyte layers around nanostructured electrodes.
  • Virus may lead to better batteries
    Scientists have reported progress in using a common virus to develop improved materials for high-performance, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that could be woven into clothing to power portable electronic devices.
  • Working towards a power-grid battery
    If battery-making is an art, then University at Buffalo scientist Esther Takeuchi is among its most prolific masters, with more than 140 US patents, all in energy storage.
  • Scientists see lithium-ion battery flaws
    Scientists at Cambridge have developed a simple, accurate way of ‘seeing’ chemistry in action inside a lithium-ion battery.
  • Rapid car battery charging may pose grid problems
    Siemens is hard at work on technologies for integrating electric cars into the public power grid. The development of methods to rapidly recharge cars is just one of the company's contributions to Denmark's Edison project, which is the first to plug a pool of vehicles into the grid.
  • When was the battery invented?
    One of the most remarkable and novel discoveries in the last 400 years has been electricity. One may ask, “Has electricity been around that long?” The answer is yes, and perhaps much longer, but the practical use of electricity has only been at our disposal since the mid- to late-1800s and, at first, in a limited way.
Feature (9)
  • Canada claims lithium battery breakthrough
    A Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-funded lab at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, has laid the groundwork for a lithium battery that can store and deliver more than three times the power of conventional lithium-ion batteries.
  • Energy-harvesting radios remove the need for batteries
    Engineers and a semiconductor manufacturer are developing an energy-harvesting radio that could transmit data without ever needing a change of batteries.
  • Clothing fuels hybrid cars
    Monash University scientists in Melbourne have designed a new form of fuel cell that could make the latest generation of hybrid vehicles more reliable and cheaper.
  • Nanotechnology improves battery life
    Nanotechnology could improve the life of the lithium batteries used in portable devices, including laptop computers, MP3 players and mobile phones. Research has demonstrated that carbon nanotubes can prevent batteries from losing charge capacity over time.
  • Researchers demonstrate ‘avalanche effect’ in solar cells
    Proof that the ‘avalanche effect’ by electrons occurs in specific, very small semiconducting crystals could pave the way for cheap high-output solar cells.
  • More safety for mobile batteries
    The safety of lithium-ion batteries has been improved so that in future they could replace motor vehicle lead acid batteries. At the same time, lithium-ion batteries used in computers and other small devices have been made safer following research at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg.
  • Battery-powered clothes
    Textiles that glow in the dark may be about to make the world a safer place for cyclists, joggers and pedestrians during bad light and at night
  • Electricity drawn from body heat
    Do you dream of a future where your phone battery never goes flat? You may not have much longer to wait now that researchers have created new circuits that are making it possible to harness body heat for generating electricity
  • One to put your shirt on!
    Nanotechnology researchers are working on a 'power shirt' which aims to replace batteries
Product (9)
  • Bitrode CDN series high-voltage battery testers
    The Bitrode CDN series high-voltage battery testers are designed to analyse batteries for all electric, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
  • Linear Technology LT3651-4.2 battery charger
    Linear Technology has introduced the LT3651-4.2, a 4A monolithic synchronous buck battery charger for single-cell Li-Ion/polymer batteries.
  • Dual battery adaptor
    Premier Batteries' latest addition to the product range is a dual mount adaptor which takes two V-Lock batteries doubling camera run times for professional cameramen and news reporters.
  • High-temp battery
    A catalyst that can combine hydrogen and oxygen into water inside a lead acid battery can extend its useful life in temperatures where normal cells would dry out.
  • Lithium battery
    Eveready has launched Eveready Lithium, a longer-lasting battery that is claimed to outperform standard alkaline batteries by up to six times in digital cameras.
  • Battery life extender
    Wolfson Microelectronics has developed SmartDAC, class W amplifier and SilentSwitch technologies to coincide with the launch of the company’s WM8903 CODEC.
  • Battery test system
    The Cadex C8000 is a battery test system for performing complex life cycle tests that may include discharging a battery with GSM, CDMA or other pulses.
  • PB-1000 series of battery chargers
    The PB-1000 series of battery chargers is available from Computronics.
  • Intelligent multi-chemistry battery charger
    The Ionix 'turtle' battery charger is manufactured by Siomar, an Australian company with many years' experience in the design of batteries. The product is exported to over 17 countries.
News (17)
  • Fluoride shuttle boosts storage capacity
    KIT researchers have developed a concept for rechargeable batteries, based on a fluoride shuttle.
  • Electric vehicle battery management
    Nuvation Engineering has developed a custom battery management system, fuel gauge and driver interface for electric vehicles.
  • Bid to lower solar cell costs
    Dow Corning has signed a three-year contract with IMEC to perform joint research on the next generation of crystalline silicon solar cells.
  • Australian company develops first universal battery-charging solution
    Australian company Digital Works has made a major breakthrough in the global battery charger market by developing two first-to-market products that leverage USB technology to charge different mobile devices from the one unit as well as standard rechargeable batteries.
  • Printable batteries
    For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new device is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process.
  • Outlook bright for printed batteries
    Nanomarkets, an industry analyst, has released 'Printed Battery Markets:2009 and Beyond' that contains the latest analysis and market projections of the 'thin' batteries market.
  • Wind power competition
    The Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University is this year hosting the student competition project Wind Turbine Power Maximiser.
  • Battery development wins funding
    More than US$2 billion has been earmarked for motor vehicle battery research as part of the US$787 billion economic stimulus and recovery package announced by US President Obama.
  • Taiwan solar revenues double
    Taiwan’s manufacturers of solar cells used to generate electricity reported more than doubled revenues in the third quarter of 2008.
  • Study into organic solar cells
    IMEC and Plextronics, a company specialising in printed solar, lighting and other organic electronics, have signed an agreement to collaborate on materials and inks for organic solar cells.
  • Making solar cells more efficient
    Researchers have developed a way for low-cost solar cells to more efficiently convert sunlight into electricity.
  • SolarWinds global distribution
    SolarWinds has launched it operations in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Solar soldiers advancing
    Australian defence personnel may be able to generate enough electricity to power their gear via new solar technology embedded in their uniforms and equipment, now that ANU researchers have won a major defence contract.
  • Thin-film/printable batteries market to reach $5.6 billion
    The value of the thin-film and printed battery market will reach $5.6 billion by 2015, according to a report from NanoMarkets, an industry analyst firm.
  • Report projects printed electronics market
    Markets for displays, signage, lighting, RFID tags, sensors, solar panels, batteries and other products manufactured using printing technology will reach $30.1 billion by 2015, according to a report from NanoMarkets.
  • Flexible thin-film batteries to grow six times in five years
    The flexible thin-film battery market is an attractive and fast growing market characterised by very high production volumes, according to a report titled ‘Flexible Thin Film Batteries – A Global Technology, Industry and Market Analysis’. To sustain its growth, manufacturers have pursued efforts to make them extremely reliable and low in cost.
  • Lighter kit for soldiers
    The kilograms of equipment that soldiers need on their missions can quickly add up. On a five-day operation, disposable and rechargeable batteries alone account for about 10 kg, not to mention the various charging devices for cell phones, PDAs and visual systems.
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