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  1. #1
    Tel Aviv U. Scientists Developing Ultimate Batteries
    By Arutz Sheva Staff

    | Just as Apple, Dell, and Sony are recalling
    | hazardous laptop batteries ...

    Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed
    new technology to greatly improve battery
    performance and decrease the risks associated
    with the lithium-based batteries currently used.

    Batteries are the bottle-neck for electronic devices' ability to
    operate effectively, the project's head, Professor Menachem Nathan told
    Israel21c.org. Mobile devices need more and more battery power, and
    consumers are seeking products that take the shortest amount of time to
    charge.

    The demand has resulted in lithium-heavy batteries that heat to high
    temperatures, posing a fire hazard. "The problem we're dealing with
    here is the flammability of lithium batteries. There have been a few
    dozen cases - especially in laptops - of them bursting into flames,"
    Nathan said. "It's not really a new problem, it's existed since lithium
    batteries came into being, but it's only come to the forefront when
    Dell made the recall - it became a bit more public.

    "The development of our technology wasn't actually geared to solve the
    flammability issue - it was just a side effect. Our battery is simply
    safer due to its structure. We meet another demand of fast
    charge/discharge. With more and more powerful laptops, batteries are
    quickly discharged. And people are not going to wait a long time to
    recharge them, they want it done fast. So at the same time as
    recharging faster, the way the battery is built works against
    flammability danger, making it safer as well."

    The new "nano-battery technology" was developed by teams at the
    university over three years. It is made up of a number of tiny
    batteries positioned in such a way as to provide a large amount of
    electrical power without the risk of overheating. "We have thousands of
    miniature batteries which are interconnected," Nathan said. "The basic
    unit is a 50 micron diameter battery - about the thickness of a strand
    of hair. In comparison, the diameter of a triple A battery is about
    three millimeters - ours is.0.03 mm - about a factor of a thousand."

    The nano-batteries have also proven to operate without a loss of
    capacity or stability after hundreds of charge/discharge cycles.

    Nathan estimates that the batteries will enter the market within four
    years. The project is currently seeking interested companies to fund
    the continued research and production of the technology.





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  2. #2
    B1ackwater
    Guest

    Re: Tel Aviv U. Scientists Developing Ultimate Batteries

    On 28 Aug 2006 08:38:17 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

    >Tel Aviv U. Scientists Developing Ultimate Batteries
    >By Arutz Sheva Staff
    >
    >| Just as Apple, Dell, and Sony are recalling
    >| hazardous laptop batteries ...
    >
    >Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed
    >new technology to greatly improve battery
    >performance and decrease the risks associated
    >with the lithium-based batteries currently used.
    >
    >Batteries are the bottle-neck for electronic devices' ability to
    >operate effectively, the project's head, Professor Menachem Nathan told
    >Israel21c.org. Mobile devices need more and more battery power, and
    >consumers are seeking products that take the shortest amount of time to
    >charge.
    >
    >The demand has resulted in lithium-heavy batteries that heat to high
    >temperatures, posing a fire hazard. "The problem we're dealing with
    >here is the flammability of lithium batteries. There have been a few
    >dozen cases - especially in laptops - of them bursting into flames,"
    >Nathan said. "It's not really a new problem, it's existed since lithium
    >batteries came into being, but it's only come to the forefront when
    >Dell made the recall - it became a bit more public.
    >
    >"The development of our technology wasn't actually geared to solve the
    >flammability issue - it was just a side effect. Our battery is simply
    >safer due to its structure. We meet another demand of fast
    >charge/discharge. With more and more powerful laptops, batteries are
    >quickly discharged. And people are not going to wait a long time to
    >recharge them, they want it done fast. So at the same time as
    >recharging faster, the way the battery is built works against
    >flammability danger, making it safer as well."
    >
    >The new "nano-battery technology" was developed by teams at the
    >university over three years. It is made up of a number of tiny
    >batteries positioned in such a way as to provide a large amount of
    >electrical power without the risk of overheating. "We have thousands of
    >miniature batteries which are interconnected," Nathan said. "The basic
    >unit is a 50 micron diameter battery - about the thickness of a strand
    >of hair. In comparison, the diameter of a triple A battery is about
    >three millimeters - ours is.0.03 mm - about a factor of a thousand."
    >
    >The nano-batteries have also proven to operate without a loss of
    >capacity or stability after hundreds of charge/discharge cycles.
    >
    >Nathan estimates that the batteries will enter the market within four
    >years. The project is currently seeking interested companies to fund
    >the continued research and production of the technology.


    The big prob with conventional lithiums isn't their
    ability to DELIVER power ... it's their ability to
    be CHARGED quickly. Fast-charging creates a LOT of
    heat - which damages the internal components and
    increases the chance of a sudden dramatic failure.

    Unfortunately, consumers want FAST recharging - they
    hate to wait. If lithiums are to be used in hybrid
    or pure electric cars everyone will try to charge
    them even faster.

    Small-pore super-capacitors can be charged much more
    quickly than lithiums ... but a cubic foot of them
    can't hold nearly as much total energy as a cubic
    foot of lithiums and isn't likely to anytime soon.

    The only real competitors for lithiums are fuel
    cells and flywheels. Indeed, flywheels of modern
    design may be THE answer for vehicular applications,
    safer and more eco-friendly than lithiums and cheaper
    than fuel cells. Now fuel-cells for laptops ... they
    sounded like a good idea until it was suddenly
    verboten to bring liquids onto an airplane ...

    Sounds as if the Israelis have gone around the heating
    issue by improving heat dissipation. The smaller the
    diameter of the cell, the less inside there is relative
    to the outside - and that will improve heat dissipation.
    The heat is still created - that's an inevitible byproduct
    of the chemistry and internal resistance - but if you
    can get the heat OUT quickly then it won't cause damage.




  3. #3

    Japan asks Apple to explain laptop fire - WAS: Tel Aviv U. Scientists Developing Ultimate Batteries

    Japan asks Apple to explain laptop fire

    Japanese authorities reported today the first case in Japan of an Apple
    laptop catching fire and ordered the US company to investigate the
    trouble involving the faulty Sony batteries and report back within a
    week.

    A laptop made by Apple Computer Inc. overheated and caught fire in
    April, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

    The user sustained minor burns after the computer caught fire,
    according to Apple spokeswoman Michiko Matsumoto, confirming the case.

    Last week, the Cupertino, California-based company told its customers
    to return 1.8 million batteries worldwide that could cause their
    laptops to overheat and catch fire - just ten days after Dell Inc.
    recalled 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries for the same reason.

    It was the largest recall involving electronics in the history of the
    US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

    In both cases, the problematic lithium-ion batteries were made by Sony
    Energy Devices Corp., a Japan-based subsidiary of Sony Corp.

    Apple has received nine reports in the United States of the lithium-ion
    batteries battery packs overheating, including two consumers who
    received minor burns after handling overheated computers. Apple has
    also received reports of minor property damage, but no serious injuries
    have been reported.

    Japan's trade ministry ordered Apple's Japan branch to report on its
    findings and measures to prevent future troubles by Sept. 5 or it could
    face a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($A3,400) under Japan's consumer
    safety laws.

    Sony and Dell also have been ordered to report on their findings after
    the recall was announced by the ministry.

    Last week, ministry officials reported that batteries in Dell laptops
    imported to Japan caught fire in at least two separate instances in
    October and June. No one was injured in those incidents, but the fires
    destroyed the machines.

    Battery packs contain cells of rolled up metal strips. Sony has said
    that during production, crimping the rolls left tiny shards of metal
    loose in the cells, and some of those shards can cause batteries to
    short-circuit, or in extreme cases, catch fire.

    Apple's Matsumoto declined to say the number of batteries the recall
    involves in Japan and how many have been recalled.

    The trade ministry has also instructed other Japanese electronic makers
    to check the safety of their laptop batteries.

    Dell has already recalled batteries from affected models in Japan.
    Batteries powering Sony's Vaio laptops don't have the same problems,
    according to the Tokyo-based manufacturer.




  4. #4
    budgie
    Guest

    Re: Japan asks Apple to explain laptop fire - WAS: Tel Aviv U. Scientists Developing Ultimate Batteries

    On 29 Aug 2006 22:20:17 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

    >Japan asks Apple to explain laptop fire

    (SNIP)
    >Japan's trade ministry ordered Apple's Japan branch to report on its
    >findings and measures to prevent future troubles by Sept. 5 or it could
    >face a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($A3,400) under Japan's consumer
    >safety laws.


    Wow, what an astronomical fine. That'll really have Apple trembling in their
    boots. <sigh>



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