MIT’s photonic crystals lead towards nuclear batteries everywhere

By Sebastian Anthony on February 3, 2012 at 8:19 am
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/116853-mits-photonic-crystals-lead-towards-a-nuclear-reactor-in-every-gadget?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ziffdavis%2Fextremetech+%28Extremetech%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Researchers at MIT have developed photonic crystals that, in as little as two years, could enable the use of hydrocarbon reactors in portable electronic devices, and nuclear power sources everywhere else.

Photonic crystals are optical nanostructures that are tuned to specific wavelengths of light. If you understand how semiconductors affect the motion of electrons (i.e. the bandgap only allows electrons with a certain energy level to pass through), photonic crystals are the optical equivalent. In this case, MIT has created infrared-absorbing photonic crystals using metals such as tungsten and titanium. Because of their metallic roots, these photonic crystals can operate at temperatures up to 1200C (2192F).

You can probably see where this is going. Basically, every object that is warmer than absolute zero emits electromagnetic radiation — and the hotter it gets, the higher the frequency of that radiation. Once an object becomes red or white hot, some 99% of the radiation produced is infrared. MIT’s photonic crystals are perfectly tuned to absorb infrared radiation, and they can survive high temperatures. This captured energy can then be converted into electricity.

As far as suitable heat sources go, they’re a dime a dozen. As it stands, many of NASA’s deep space missions — Pioneer, Viking, Cassini-Huygens, the Curiosity Mars rover — use radioisotope thermal generators, which generate heat from the decay of radioactive material (usually plutonium, pictured right). Currently, a thermocouple is used to create electricity from the heat, but thermocouples are incredibly inefficient (they max out at around 10%). These photonic crystals would be more efficient (and MIT is already talking to NASA about it).

Looking towards the future, MIT’s photonic crystals could offer an alternative to photovoltaic panels or fuel cells. Any source of heat could be turned into electricity, without the need for turbines or any other moving parts. According to MIT researcher Ivan Celanovic, for a given weight and size, a microreactor that burns butane and uses photonic crystals could last 10 times longer than existing battery technology.

If you’re not comfortable with having a reactor in your pocket, though, the photonic crystals could be used to simply capture waste heat, much like the University of Minnesota multiferroic alloy or German magnetic RAM that we covered last year.

The best bit, though, is that MIT is confident that this technology could be brought to market in as little as two years. Photonic crystals are actually quite mature tech; the actual meat of this discovery is that they’ve found a way to cheaply mass-produce rugged crystals that can operate at high temperatures. This technology is coming.

California Sets New Standards For Energy Efficient Battery Chargers

EarthTechling.com Staff

January 26, 2012

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/california-sets-new-standard-energy-efficient-battery-chargers.html  

California has been buzzing with talk about vampires, but this has nothing to do with a certain porcelain-skinned heartthrob or HBO hit series. Instead, the vampires in question are the battery chargers that have been slowly draining electricity right under our noses.

But don’t fear, the California Energy Commission is putting a stop to it with the nation’s first energy efficiency standard regulating the battery chargers that increasingly accompany our on-the-go lifestyles. Starting in February 2013, consumer chargers for cell phones, laptops, toothbrushes – you-name-it – will have to comply with the new standard, followed by industrial chargers in 2014.

The estimated 170 million chargers in California households have been wasting some serious energy. They consume 8,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity each year, and nearly two-thirds of that energy is wasted by inefficiency, often as heat. Battery chargers use energy in three different modes: when they are actively charging the battery; after the battery is fully charged, but the charger is still plugged in; and when disconnected from the device, but still plugged into an outlet. The new efficiency standards set limits to how much energy can be consumed during each of these modes, reducing wasted energy by 40 percent.

The California Energy Commission says that once fully implemented, the efficient chargers will save an estimated 2,200 GWh each year – enough to power 350,000 homes – while trimming Californians' utility bills by a total of $300 million and sparing 1 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

As we have experienced before, innovation and efficiency often bumps up the initial price of the product, but the commission estimates that the energy savings should more than compensate. For example, a more efficient charger to your laptop could cost an additional 50 cents, but will save an estimated $9 in electricity bills over its lifetime.

"Our smart phones and other electronic devices are about to get a whole lot smarter by not wasting electricity and our money," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, director of clean energy programs at Environment California. "This is a good deal for consumers and the environment and a no-brainer for California to once again provide leadership on."

Indeed, California yet again proves itself to be the Wild West trail-blazer in energy efficiency standards, setting its own rules without waiting for the nod from a similar federal regulation currently under development. But the rest of the country may not have to wait for a federal regulation to enjoy efficient chargers.

While manufacturers bear the burden of innovating and redesigning their products to meet these standards, many consumer electronics manufacturers already meet the standards proposed. And even without a national regulation, California’s larger market is a powerful incentive for manufacturers to redesign and convert their chargers to meet the higher California standards.

Old Electric Car Batteries to Find Second Life on the Power Grid

Michael Graham Richard

January 20, 2012
http://www.treehugger.com/cars/electric-car-batteries-being-tested-grid-emergency-storage.html

© Nissan

Reincarnation for Lithium-Ion

It's not because a battery pack isn't good enough for an electric or hybrid car anymore that it should go directly to a recycling plant. There are lots of potential secondary uses for batteries that can still hold more than half of their original charge. I've already written about how they could be used to store wind power to reduce the intermittency problem, but a new partnership between Nissan North-America, ABB, 4R Energy, and Sumitomo Corporation of America believes that used electric car batteries (Nissan LEAF ones, in this case) could be used for residential and commercial energy storage, even acting as emergency back-up during natural disasters like last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Electric car batteries have up to 70% capacity remaining after 10 years of use. This allows them to be used beyond the lifetime of the vehicle for applications, and smart grids can take advantage of their capacity to store intermittent renewable energy.

Innovative energy storage solutions are expected to become a key component of the smart grid, contributing to greater efficiency, reliability and performance. They will facilitate further integration of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, into the grid. The evaluation of Nissan batteries, through the partnership, will help determine their suitability for the power industry as a cost-effective energy storage solution. (source)

The partners plan to develop a LEAF battery storage prototype with a capacity of at least 50 kilowatt hours (kWh), enough to supply 15 average homes with electricity for two hours. I assume that if that works out well, they'll scale it up, possibly even up to the multi-megawatt-hour scale, which would make it really useful in emergencies and to store solar or wind power.

Via ABB, GCC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgPZt7PDSCQ

Air battery to let electric cars outlast gas guzzlers

• 06 January 2012 by Duncan Graham-Rowe
• Magazine issue 2846.
  http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328466.200-air-battery-to-let-electric-cars-outlast-gas-guzzlers.html

ONE of the biggest drawbacks with owning an electric vehicle (EV) is range anxiety - a driver's nagging fear that the battery charge will not get them to their destination. Now IBM claims to have solved a fundamental problem that may lead to the creation of a battery with an 800-kilometre (500-mile) range - letting EVs potentially compete with most petrol engines for the first time.

Standard electric vehicles use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are bulky and rarely provide 160 kilometres (100 miles) of driving before they run down.

A newer type, known as a lithium-air cell, is more attractive because it has theoretical energy densities more than 1000 times greater than the Li-ion type, putting it almost on a par with gasoline. Instead of using metal oxides in the positive electrode, lithium-air cells use carbon, which is lighter and reacts with oxygen from the air around it to produce an electrical current.

But there's a problem. Chemical instabilities limit their lifespan when recharging, making them impractical for use in cars, says physicist Winfried Wilcke at IBM's Almaden laboratories, based in San Jose, California.

So Wilcke studied the underlying electrochemistry of these cells using a form of mass spectrometry. What he found was that oxygen is reacting not just with the carbon electrode, as it was known to, but also with the electrolytic solvent - the conducting solution that carries the lithium ions between the electrodes.

However, if the electrolyte reacts with the oxygen when the car is in use it will eventually be depleted. So, working with his colleague Alessandro Curioni at IBM's Zurich research labs in Switzerland, Wilcke used a Blue Gene supercomputer to run extremely detailed models of the reactions to look for alternative electrolytes. This included a form of atomistic modelling right down to the quantum mechanics of the components, says Curioni.

"We now have one which looks very promising," says Wilcke. He won't reveal what material it is but says that several research prototypes have already been demonstrated. And as part of Battery 500, an IBM-led coalition involving four US national laboratories and commercial partners, the hope is to have a full-scale prototype ready by 2013, with commercial batteries to follow by around 2020.

If it works, this would solve a major obstacle with lithium-air batteries, says Phil Bartlett, head of electrochemistry at the University of Southampton, UK. There are other practical issues to address, such as enabling such batteries to cope with moist air. "Lithium in water spontaneously catches fire," he points out.

What Do We Need From the Battery of the Future? By David Biello

·         January 25th, 2012

·         By Txchnologist Guest

http://www.txchnologist.com/2012/what-do-we-need-from-the-battery-of-the-future-by-david-biello

Imagine a car that could go 300 miles – that’s Chicago to St. Louis – on battery power. That’s not possible today without either an assist from a gasoline-fueled engine functioning as a charger (the Chevy Volt solution) or an alternate drive provider (the Toyota Prius solution). The fact that such cars need, in effect, two engines, means that battery-powered options remain much more expensive than their purely gasoline-fueled peers, which require only a single powertrain.

“We need batteries that last longer, charge quickly and are inexpensive,” says ecologist Joe Fargione of The Nature Conservancy, an expert on the environmental impacts of biofuels, another transportation fuel alternative. “With that [electrification of cars] would be relatively simple. The rest of the technology is there.”

So the battery the future requires is cheap, more energy dense and less fragile. No car on the market can meet all of these requirements: the $35,200 all-electric Nissan Leaf has only 100 miles of advertised range, while Tesla’s new souped-up model S, with an advertised 300 miles of range, will be priced at $77,400 and have an actual range that is closer to 240 miles. Meanwhile, batteries all too often burst into flame — recall the Sony laptop lithium-ion batteries of several years ago or the recent controversy over the Chevy Volt’s batteries — or stop functioning because of degraded components. The question is: can such a battery be made?

What is a battery?

Alessandro Volta built the first modern battery around 1800, by piling discs of zinc and silver separated by cloth soaked in salt water. The salt water oxidized the zinc, freeing up electrons, which then migrated to the silver. By keeping those electrons flowing, Volta induced an electrical current from the battery and was the first to demonstrate the properties of properly configured electrolytes, anodes and cathodes.

This first battery had all kinds of limitations, incl

A Voltaic pile at the Musee des arts et Metiers, Paris. Courtesy Flickr user SSShupe

uding almost instant corrosion that would shut down the chemical reactions needed to generate electric current. Plus, Volta’s battery could never be too big because the weight of the discs began to squeeze the salt water out of the intervening cloth.

Batteries have improved immensely in the more than 200 years since, as carbon and various lithium-based compounds have supplanted the zinc and silver of Volta’s proto-batteries. But the same fundamental challenges remain: a battery that stores twice as much energy and can take you twice as far is going to be twice as large, which is to say, too big for a car. And that’s just one of the challenges.

“As a storage device for energy, a battery is notoriously inefficient,” notes Johan de Nysschen, the president of Audi of America, though the automaker is investing in battery-powered vehicles. Today’s lithium ion batteries hold roughly 0.72 megajoules per kilogram. The equivalent amount of gasoline holds 35 times more energy.

Better energy storage

The search is on for new materials to boost energy storage. One candidate is the same silicon that makes computer chips and photovoltaics possible. This semiconductor can also serve as a powerful anode, as much as 30 percent more powerful than the carbon anodes used today.

The problem is that silicon doesn’t hold its shape, swelling when charging before shrinking back as it discharges. As a result, much like Volta’s original long ago, batteries employing silicon don’t last very long. Other alternatives to improve on carbon include water and even air — the problem being that volatile lithium can spontaneously combust in both.

Argonne's microcapsules, just 10 microns across, burst to repair batteries. Image by Amanda Jones and Ben Blaiszik/Argonne National Laboratory

To combat this battery life problem, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and elsewhere are working on devices that could self-heal. The idea is to include microcapsules of liquid metal smaller than a cell of along the surface of the anode or cathode. When that surface becomes damaged the capsules burst and the liquid metal fills in the blemishes cutting off current.

Finally, batteries that could be refilled on the go, such as the “flow batteries” being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, might provide a solution to long-distance transport, though refueling stops would become more frequent. Think of it as a battery masquerading as a liquid fuel. Essentially, these batteries break up their anode and cathode materials into particles floating in the liquid electrolyte. Such electricity generating solutions could then be used until fully discharged, pumped out, and the battery refilled with fresh solution, though this poses the usual chemistry and infrastructure challenges facing all battery-powered vehicles. The company Better Place has a similar idea for swapping out more traditional batteries entirely and will begin rolling that system out in Denmark, where installing the infrastructure can be more manageable.

A better use?

In the end, however, even these futuristic batteries and schemes pale in comparison to the energy density and convenience of fossil fuels — a lithium air battery, the most energy dense battery on offer in the laboratory, might hold roughly one-fifth the energy of a similar amount of gasoline. Further, such batteries will be expensive. “We have solutions to all of our energy problems, but our solutions cost too much,” says physicist William Brinkman, director of the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE).

The Tesla S: a maximum of 300 miles range with a big asterisk. Courtesy Tesla

But that doesn’t mean that such batteries won’t find a use, for example, in the military, which has partnered with the DoE to test large-scale batteries for microgrids. And renewable sources of electricity, such as the wind and sun, may also rely on large-scale battery storage to smooth out interruptions in the supply of power from such sources.

But it’s cars that really rev the motor of battery enthusiasts. As a result, the DoE will launch this year a new research center devoted to “dramatically improv[ing] battery and energy storage technologies for vehicle and grid applications,” announced Secretary of Energy Steven Chu at an event in Detroit on January 11. “Imagine a low-cost battery that allows you to drive a few hundred miles, recharge while you stop for lunch, and then drive on for another few hundred miles. Achieving this goal could be transformative.”

Nevertheless, it is those working on batteries within the DoE who recognize the scale of the challenge — and the hurdles presented by basic physics. ANL developed lighter, safer and cheaper to manufacture lithium-ion batteries that also mix in manganese, which will soon be used in the Chevy Volt. But that doesn’t mean the battery will soon triumph. “Is the battery going to supplant or replace the internal combustion engine?” asked Jeffrey Chamberlain, leader of Argonne’s energy storage initiative, including advanced batteries, at a New America Foundation event this past October on energy in 2030. “That’s never going to happen: not in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime or my children’s children’s lifetime.”

Top image: Lithium-ion battery cells at Argonne’s Electrochemical Analysis and Diagnostics Laboratory. Courtesy Argonne National Laboratory

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David Biello is an associate editor at Scientific American. In December, he won a Silver Baton 2012 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award for hosting and co-writing the Detroit Public Television special Beyond the Light Switch. He has written for publications ranging from Good to Yale e360 and speaks on radio shows such as WNYC’s The Takeaway.

Comments

TJ Anderson 1 month ago

There are a lot of competing technological ‘breakthroughs’ currently in the advanced and early research stages that all hope to be the solution to the problem. In actuality I think it will take a combination of most of those

Bob Wallace 29 days ago

The Honda FiT will use the Toshiba SCiB lithium-ion battery. It will take a 95% recharge in less than 20 minutes. (It also is rated at 4,000 cycles which makes it a 400,000 mile battery.)

The ‘threshold”, I think, is a 175 mile range battery. That would allow a 500 mile driving day with only two 20 minute stops. We don’t actually need a 300 mile range.

—

This – “batteries all too often burst into flame”. Why do you make such a silly claim?

When’s the last time you heard of a laptop, digital camera, hearing aid, cell phone bursting into flame?

And the Volt battery fire, a severely crash-damaged battery that was not properly discharged burst into flames three weeks after the coolant evaporated and created a short. It’s common practice to drain gas tanks and disconnect starter batteries when wrecked gasmobiles are hauled to the wrecking/storage yard. All that’s needed is to put the wrecked EV battery electricity back into the grid.

abrahim sabir 29 days ago

eventually the concept must boil down to ‘storage’ and ‘production’ . storage shudnt necessarily means battery chemistry. Honda’s FCV (fuel cell vehicle) is one of the ways ahead. the permutations in case of battery chemicals are unlikely to get anywhere near the calorific density of gasoline or compressed hydrogen. Its important to have the objective in focus and avoid getting lost in the intermediates and the objective is to get rid of the IC engine as we know it. solution to little issues like ‘fast charging’ do exist in form of super-capacitor based charging units which can accept large amount of charge in a flash which can then be pushed into the battery by an efficient DC-DC converter. at the end of the day 300mile/top-up will not happen purely on the basis of battery capacity but on a combination of many different ideas.

1.     Bill Dale 26 days ago

Tsk, tsk! Such overwhelming lack of vision, and excessive pessimism! These are the kinds of doubters that the Wright brothers, and Robert Fulton, and Tesla (both the genius a hundred years ago, and the car company today that bears his name in homage), and countless others had to ignore to bring new technologies to market. There’s a perfectly good reason ships can’t be built of iron, of course– it’s heavier than water, and it will sink. Despite what seemed like perfect logic, ships have been built of metal, to the embarrassment of their critics.

The problem with air batteries is that lithium is highly volatile– it burns fiercely when in contact with water, or even the moisture in the air. To make an air battery work, the anode must have a membrane that separates it from the air, but that still allows ions in the atmosphere to pass through and interact with the charged plates. That’s a thorny problem, but I do not see it as any more substantial than, say, finding a way to make organic LEDs (OLEDs) that started out as very promising laboratory curiosities, but had useful lives measured in hours. Many people, thought they’d never make it to market, or be affordable. I’m typing this comment on an OLED smart phone right now, and its contrast, efficiency and other qualities make it far better than LED screens of the past. I am not willing to pay much attention to those that give reasons a thing cannot be done.

Air batteries, if they succeed, may be more expensive per pound than today’s batteries, but that is no excuse for not pursuing them– they may yield storage so dense that they only need to be a tenth the size to provide 300 miles range. If such a battery can he made, everything else in the car can be lighter as well, particularly the suspension system, electric motor and electronic controller.

Another technology that coats the charge plates with carbon nanotubes may similarly increase the battery’s energy density by ten times– then again, maybe neither approach succeeds beyond, say, 20%– but combined, the two technologies may give us greater range than we can achieve with gasoline. We wull never know unless we ignore the pessimists. And even if we don’t achieve anything more than modest gains with new batteries, they will still inevitably succeed in some proportion– petroleum will not last forever, what we do pump from below will continue to be more and more difficult and expensive to access. China and India are only now beginnng to use significant numbers of ICE cars, and if all the billions of Chinese want to drive automobiles, which is likely, gasoline will soon become unaffordable. EV use will inevitably become our best alternative even if battery technology does not advance as rapidly as we’d like– which I think is unlikely. I look forward to clean, quiet, smog-free highways, and running on electrons rather than fuel supplied by countries that would like nothing more than to use our petro dollars to finance weapons of mass destruction to annihilate us.

Klaus Beccu, Ph.D. 6 days ago

Air batteries are certainly the storage systems to pursue furthermore. As Bill Dale pointed out, the problems with Li-air are severe, not only the humidity problem but also the low performance of an air electrode in organic electrolytes is a restriction for high power applications. The comparison with electronic developments (OLED), that any problem can be solved follows however always the same error often announced: to compare electronics with electrochemistry. Both developments are based on completely different scientific principles.

A promising Air battery that avoids the problems of Li-air: is the Proton-Ion battery (metal hydride – air), now under development at Ovonic Battery Company [OBC] . The Proton-Ion system allows to reach energy densities up to 300 Wh/kg, works in aqueous electrolyte ast high performance and avoids the dendrite problem of Zinc-air. OBC is the leader in metal hydride batteries [NiMH] installed in over 3 million hybrid vehicles from Toyota, Honda, Ford, VW, BMW, Porsche, PSA etc. In the 2nd generation NiMH

Klaus Beccu, Ph.D. 6 days ago

Last comment shut down before finished!

In the 2nd generation NiMH shows comparable energy densities as LiFePO4 batteries, however at 1/3 of the cost of Li-ion and without any safety problem. The outstanding merits of this storage systems were recently recognized by the takeover of OBC by BASF-USA . While OBC has performed major improvements in the choice of the metal alloy and structure and especially has succeeded to license the NiMH-technology to 35 companies worldwide, the pioneer invention of electrochemically reversible hydrogen storage in metal hydrides came originally (1967) from the Battelle Geneva Research Center, where this technology was patented and developed for Daimler-Benz and VW over 20 years.

2.     Eyal (Fuel Freedom) 4 days ago

What a silly article. Its entire premise is wrong.
1. Need to compare the final weight of the electric car vs ICE car. With 60% less systems (engine, fuel injection system, transmission, etc.) the electric car has a lot less to carry around. Just comparing the battery weight to energy density of gasoline is unfair.
2. The article assumes that there is such as think as a family car. In the US at least there is no such thing anymore. We have a car per driver. In most households there are at least 2 cars. If one of your cars is electric and the other gasoline and you need to take a longer trip just switch cars with your spouse.
3. Even if both household cars are electric, you can always rent a car for those handful of trips to Vegas or to grandma.

With less than 20,000 electric cars sold in 2011 out of almost 50,000,000 cars that were made last year, the road is pretty long for electric mobility to rule the globe. But one thing is for sure, there will be plenty of innovation along the way, most of it might not even be imagined today.

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/invest_sweden/pressrelease/view/sweden-invites-to-advanced-battery-innovation-567871

From: JHChao@...
Subject: Berkeley Lab Battery Team: Working to Drive Electric Vehicles From Niche to Mass Market

- Berkeley Lab News Center - http://newscenter.lbl.gov -

Copyright © 2008 Berkeley Lab News Center. All rights reserved.

Lauren Flynn
AH&M Marketing Communications
152 North Street, Suite 340
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Tel: +1 413.448.2260 ext. 140
Fax: +1 413.445.4026
E-mail: lflynn @ ahminc.com
 

Owens Corning Develops New Non-Woven Glass Fiber Veil to Improve Performance of Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries

for Stop-Start Engine Systems

New Veil Requires No Capital Investment,

Streamlines Production and Extends Battery Life and Capacity

PARIS, March 29, 2011 –Owens Corning (NYSE: OC), the leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems, today announced a new solution to help battery makers meet the challenges of stop-start engine technology.  The announcement was made in conjunction with the 2011 JEC Composites Show, the world’s largest composites exhibition, where Owens Corning is exhibiting in Booth R20.

Owens Corning’s new non-woven glass fiber veil using corrosion-resistant Advantex^® E-CR glass technology increases cycle lifetime of traditional flooded lead-acid batteries, in particular at partial state of discharge.  Other benefits include reduced acid stratification and the ability to operate in higher-temperature environments.

Working with several battery makers and a global leader in lead-acid battery chemistry, Owens Corning developed the non-woven glass fiber veil that is applied directly to the face of the positive electrode during production, and improves the battery’s capability to support the increased requirements of stop-start engine systems.  The new glass veil technology requires no capital investment by battery manufacturers and eliminates a component by replacing sacrificial pasting paper used only as a process carrier during the electrode pasting process.  

“Stop-start engine technology is a growing and very promising environmental initiative to conserve fuel and cut emissions, but it places heavy demands on a vehicle’s battery,” said Industrial Business Development Leader for OCV™ Non-Woven Technologies Ralph Jousten. “To help battery manufacturers improve the performance and lifespan of their products, we developed a solution that enhances existing flooded batteries. With our glass veil, customers can meet the performance challenges of new stop-start engines and compete successfully at a lower cost versus traditional batteries.” 

This solution also provides cost advantages over AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery types that produce more cycles but are priced about 2.5 times higher and are more sensitive to heat and overcharging than flooded lead-acid batteries.

Stop-start engine systems cut fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by temporarily shutting off during idling, such as at stoplights and railroad crossings, and then restarting the engine upon acceleration. The technology is particularly beneficial in vehicles that make frequent stops, such as delivery or service vehicles.

About Owens Corning

Owens Corning (NYSE:OC) is a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. A Fortune® 500 Company for 56 consecutive years, Owens Corning is committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions, transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology with sales of $5 billion in 2010 and about 15,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents. Additional information is available at www.owenscorning.com.

Contact:

Beth Rettig                                           

Owens Corning                                     

1-419-248-6777 

Beth.Rettig @ owenscorning.com 

{~B914144911174430006419506261715~}

18 November 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15788735

World's 'lightest material' unveiled by US engineers

Engineers say the material is less dense than aerogels and metallic foams

A team of engineers claims to have created the world's lightest material.

The substance is made out of tiny hollow metallic tubes arranged into a micro-lattice - a criss-crossing diagonal pattern with small open spaces between the tubes.

The researchers say the material is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and has "extraordinarily high energy absorption" properties.

Potential uses include next-generation batteries and shock absorbers.

The research was carried out at the University of California, Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology and is published in the latest edition of Science.

"The trick is to fabricate a lattice of interconnected hollow tubes with a wall thickness 1,000 times thinner than a human hair," said lead author Dr Tobias Schaedler.

Low-density

The resulting material has a density of 0.9 milligrams per cubic centimetre.

By comparison the density of silica aerogels - the world's lightest solid materials - is only as low as 1.0mg per cubic cm.

The metallic micro-lattices have the edge because they consist of 99.99% air and of 0.01% solids.

The engineers say the material's strength derives from the ordered nature of its lattice design.

By contrast, other ultralight substances, including aerogels and metallic foams, have random cellular structures. This means they are less stiff, strong, energy absorptive or conductive than the bulk of the raw materials that they are made out of.

William Carter, manager of architected materials at HRL, compared the new material to larger low-density structures.

"Modern buildings, exemplified by the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge are incredibly light and weight-efficient by virtue of their architecture," he said.

"We are revolutionising lightweight materials by bringing this concept to the nano and micro scales."

Robust

To study the strength of the metallic micro-lattices the team compressed them until they were half as thick.

After removing the load the substance recovered 98% of its original height and resumed its original shape.

The first time the stress test was carried out and repeated the material became less stiff and strong, but the team says that further compressions made very little difference.

"Materials actually get stronger as the dimensions are reduced to the nanoscale," said team member Lorenzo Valdevit.

"Combine this with the possibility of tailoring the architecture of the micro-lattice and you have a unique cellular material."

The engineers suggest practical uses for the substance include thermal insulation, battery electrodes and products that need to dampen sound, vibration and shock energy.

More on This Story

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• UK invests in graphene technology 03 OCTOBER 2011, SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT
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Pastos Grandes, Lithium Brine Project, Bolivia

http://www.newworldresource.com/s/PastosGrandes.asp

Introduction

The Pastos Grandes project is located in the Sud Lipez province within the Department of Potosi, Bolivia, at an elevation of approximately 4,200 metres. The Pastos Grandes salar is part of the Bolivian Altiplano which is host to many alkaline and saline lakes and salars. Salars are composed of brines and salts rich in many minerals including lithium, potassium and boron. Bolivia is known to host the world's largest undeveloped lithium brine resource.

The Pastos Grandes salar is approximately 120 km2 and is located in a basin surrounded predominantly by mountainous terrain with intermittent rivers and thermal springs that discharge waters into a central lake. New World's total land position at Pastos Grandes is 75.12 km2, which represents approximately 62% of the entire Pastos Grandes salar. The area is accessible via numerous roads, with services available at the nearby town of Uyuni, 161 kilometres to the northeast. This town of approximately 21,400 people is an important transport hub, accessed via a network of packed dirt roads, or by commercial airport.

Geological Setting

Pastos Grandes is one of some 200 alkaline, saline lakes and salars in the area. It covers approximately 120 square kilometres trending northwest-southeast, composed of a thick sequence of sediments with a late Miocene pyroclastic basement.

Chemical analysis of the brine show that Pastos Grandes fits the alkaline type salar based on the concentrations of (Na-Ca-SO4-Cl), with high concentrations of lithium (Li), boron (B), and potassium(K), average totaling: 1,033 parts per million (ppm), Li, 378 ppm B, 7,766 ppm K.

The size of other major brine deposits range globally from 200 million to 1.3 billion metric tons with grades ranging from 0.015% to 0.125% lithium.

Pastos Grandes as seen from space. Note the central
lake and several streams, photo courtesy of NASA
click to enlarge

Project Exploration

The Company commissioned Dr. Teresita Kullberg to evaluate historical Pastos Grande brine samples and to compare the results to known lithium brine deposits of South America. Dr. Kullberg holds a PhD in Inorganic/Physical Chemistry and has extensive background in lithium chemistry, having worked for FMC Lithium and Chemetall Foote Corporation for a total of 26 years. Her experience ranges from laboratory research and development to pilot plant to production. She worked directly on the Atacama Salar of Chile through Chemetall Foote's subsidiary company Sociedad Chilena de Litio (SCL).

Excerpt from the Report entitled, 'Salar de Pastos Grandes -- Evaluation of Brine Samples' dated April 12, 2009;
"Preliminary conclusion from the data shows that the low Mg/Li ratio of 2.2 in the Pastos Grandes brine is very promising for a viable, profitable and economical Li recovery. Its brine composition mix with Li content > 1,000 ppm is competitive against the currently processed brines in Chile and Argentina. Additional investigation of this valuable lithium and potassium resource is recommended."

Historical brine chemical data of Pastos Grandes*

* The accuracy and validity of data were reviewed as received without other assumptions.
Li = lithium, K = potassium, Mg = Magnesium, Ca = Calcium, SO4 = sulphate, ppm = parts per million

As a quick estimate for assessing the feasibility of extraction, higher K/Mg and SO4/Mg ratios enhance the potash recovery from the preferred production method utilizing solar evaporation ponds. Moreover, lower Mg/Li and SO₄/Li ratios facilitate lithium recovery.

Below is a table comparing the historical brine samples of Pastos Grandes to other brine deposits in production in South America:

*Source: Salar de Rincon, Summary Report by Pedro Pavlovic

In conclusion the report states:

"The Salar de Pastos Grandes represents brine of excellent quality for lithium and potassium recovery. While it is much smaller in size compared with the Salar de Uyuni, its composition mixture of Li, Mg, Ca, K, SO4, may be easier to process economically. The Mg/Li ratio of 2.2 is less than the Atacama ratio of 6.4. Additional studies are recommended for the Salar de Pastos Grandes."

The historical results and the work that generated them pre-date the enactment of NI 43-101, and accordingly may not meet the requirements of the policy.

During 2009, the Company completed a brine sampling program to expand and confirm the historical data. The Company mobilized a highly experienced brine sampling team that collected brine and water samples on a modified grid covering the entire Pastos Grandes salar. The results are consistent with historical sampling conducted by the US Geologica Survey and the University of La Paz and continue to return significant lithium values and consistently low magnesium to lithium ratios.

Current Exploration Program

New World began a 1,500 metre drill program on the Pastos Grandes project. The drill program is over 50 percent complete and has delivered strong lithium content results. An abnormally severe rainy season has hampered the efficiency of the program; however, management continues to be encouraged with the high grade lithium and overall chemistry of the salar.

The drill program consisted of an initial pilot hole at each site to identify the depth and thicknesses of the aquifers present, followed by the drilling of a cluster of holes within a radius of approximately 15 metres from the pilot hole. Each hole within the grouping independently tested one of the aquifers as identified by the pilot hole. Four out of the six drill sites completed thus far have returned excellent lithium grades and attractively low magnesium to lithium ratios and sulphate to lithium ratios.

Pastos Grandes Current Drill Program Results

m = metres, ppm = parts per million
(1) Released - August 24, 2011
*Previously released - January 18, 2011

Subsequent to the aquifer identification drilling program, several sites will be selected for hydrologic assessment. This process will involve completing a series of monitoring wells around each pump well. Controlled pumping will be carried out within the centrally located pump hole, and the monitoring wells will determine the drawdown rates for each aquifer. This data is a portion of an ongoing comprehensive hydrological assessment of the Pastos Grandes aquifer system and will be essential as the Company develops its resource estimate. The hydrological assessment implementation and guidelines are under the direction of Dr. Richard Martin. Dr. Martin joined the Company as a consultant in February 2011 and holds a PhD in Hydrogeology. He is highly regarded as an expert in the field of solution mining and exploration.

Drilling is currently on hold while the next phase of work is being planned. The Company has also completed the expansion and construction of the onsite laboratory, offices and accommodations.

Agreement

In February 2009, the Company through a wholly owned subsidiary, New World Resource Bolivia S.A. ("New World Bolivia") signed a joint venture agreement (the "Agreement") with Gonzalo Miranda Salles and María Elena Gumucio Salles (together, "Salles") whereby the Company was granted the option to acquire a 99% interest in the concession holding within the Pastos Grandes salars. The remaining 1% interest in the project will be held by Salles as a free carried interest, although Salles's share of the net proceeds from production may be purchased by New World Bolivia at any time for US$250,000. The Agreement does not provide for any minimum work commitment, and will have a term of 20 years.

In October 2009, the Company through New World Bolivia, signed a joint venture agreement with Mr. Alberto Sivila whereby the Company was granted the option to acquire a 97% free carried interest of the concession holding within the Pastos Grandes salars. The remaining 3% interest in the project will be held by Mr. Sivila. At any time during the term of the joint venture agreement, US$500,000 can be paid to acquire an additional 2% interest in the joint venture. The joint venture agreement does not provide for any minimum work commitments, and will have a term of 15 years.

Effective May 1, 2010, the Company entered into a joint venture agreement with Kellguani whereby the Company was granted the option to acquire a 99% interest in Kellguani's 711 hectares within the Pastos Grandes salars. The agreement stipulates that Kellguani will have exclusive rights to the exploitation of the Ulexite within the 711 hectares. The joint venture agreement does not provide for any minimum work commitments, and will have a term of 20 years.

http://issuu.com/apella/docs/resource_world_vanadium_article-march_2011

http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/25481/lithium-americas-3d-brine-model-confirms-size-capacity-of-cauchari-olaroz-resource-25481.html

Lithium Americas
www.lithiumamericas.com

Lithium Americas (TSX: LAC) has identified the 3rd largest known lithium brine resource in the world, and the results of a National Instrument 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment identify that the Company's flagship property in Argentina has the potential to become one of the lowest cost lithium operations in the world. Mitsubishi Corporation and Magna International are strategic shareholders in the Company, in addition to both having off-take arrangements with Lithium Americas.

Full Lithium Americas profile here

inShare10

Lithium Americas 3D brine model confirms size, capacity of Cauchari-Olaroz resource

Mon 3:38 pm by Deborah Sterescu

Lithium Americas Corp. (TSE:LAC) (OTCQX:LHMAF) said Monday it has completed a 3D brine numerical model, used to simulate brine extraction from its Cauchari-Olaroz lithium-potash project in Argentina, which confirmed the size and production capacity of the resource.

The model allows the prediction of brine flow within the salar, or salt lake, as well as of the mine life, the lithium grade depletion over time and reserves.

The company said the modeling is supported by geological, hydrogeological and geochemical data collected through field programs at the site.

"A 3D brine numerical model is the ultimate tool to fine tune the mine plan in a brine development resource," said president and CEO, Dr. Waldo A. Perez.

"The model has also supported many of the critical assumptions in our Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) including the size, quality and estimated productive life of the Cauchari-Olaroz resource estimate – one of the largest lithium brine resource in the world.

"We are very pleased that the model also indicates that due to the exceptional geological characteristics of our salar, we are expected to require approximately 50% of the production wells originally estimated in the PEA to put phase 1 of the project into production."

Results of the model will be displayed at the company’s booth at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention (PDAC) in Toronto, Ontario.

"We continue to add value to our project and to demonstrate the technical capability of our team. We expect to deliver the definitive Feasibility Study with reserves and a mine plan in Q2 2012," added Perez.

The company's Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project comprises a significant portion of two adjacent Argentinean salt lakes, Cauchari and Olaroz, covering 82,498 hectares located in the "Lithium Triangle" region of South America.

Cauchari-Olaroz is considered the third-largest deposit of lithium in the world. The property has a total lithium and potash resource of 8.0 million tonnes and 25.4 million tonnes, respectively.

Major automotive players Mitsubishi Corp and Magna International are shareholders of the company, in addition to them both having off-take arrangements with Lithium Americas.

In late 2011, Mackie Research said that the company was "on track to becoming a leading player in the lithium market".

Indeed, an April 2011 preliminary economic assessment (PEA) completed by ARA Worley Parsons defined an operation with an eventual operating capacity of 40,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year, having an operating cost of $1,434 per tonne - considered to be among the most competitive costs of any lithium operation in the world.

Looking forward, Lithium Americas said the planned milestones for this year include an NI 43-101 reserves estimation calculated by AquaResource Inc. in the first quarter of 2012, which will include the 3D model reported today.

The 3D model was developed by AquaResource, with the involvement of Dr. Mark King, the Independent Qualified Person for Lithium Americas.

The model included additional data collected since the previous resource estimate filed in December 2010, including geology, hydraulic testing and brine results from five pumping well arrays and four sets of salt lake boundary tests, as well as a water balance analysis, completed in 2011.

The upcoming reserve estimate will be derived from the simulation of a conceptual production well system. The model predicts that the grade of the pumped brine will remain above 600 milligrams per litre lithium for a period of at least 50 years.

The model also shows that an annual production rate of 40,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate can be achieved over a period of 40 years, without extracting brine from outside of the property boundary. The predicted duration for which it can maintain a production rate of 40,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year within the model exceeds 50 years, the company added.

Using data from the upcoming reserves study, ARA WorleyParsons is expected to deliver a definitive feasibility study in the second calendar quarter of 2012.

After the feasibility study, Lithium Americas expects to start detailed engineering in the third quarter, which is expected to be complete in nine to 12 months.

During the second half of the year, the company also expects the approval of an environmental impact statement - a type of permit necessary to begin construction and mining at Cauchari-Olaroz.

Other near-term milestones include the completion of a certification and qualification process for its battery-grade lithium carbonate, the re-assembling of a pilot plant at the project, and the closing of financing and off-take agreements with strategic parties, Lithium Americas said.

February 16, 2012

BASF Acquires NiMH Battery Producer

http://www.powerpulse.net/story.php?src=r4;storyID=25318

BASF has acquired Ovonic Battery Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices Inc.. No financial details were provided.

Ovonic’s principal activities have been licensing its advanced battery technologies - including nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) technologies – participating in joint development programs to support application of advanced battery technologies and and manufacturing mixed-metal hydroxide cathode materials for sale to its licensees for use in battery production. Ovonic has developed NiMH rechargeable battery technology that is used globally in many hybrid-electric vehicles.

Ovonic will be managed under BASF’s new Battery Materials global business unit, which was launched January 1st. The single operating unit will be managed by BASF’s Catalysts division, based in Iselin, New Jersey. In addition to BASF’s current activities in electrolyte formulations and Li-ion cathode materials development, it said it is exploring next-generation battery materials concepts, including lithium-sulfur technologies. It is now in early stage development with partner Sion Power, in which BASF recently invested $50 million to take an equity ownership stake.

"We are very pleased to join BASF’s Battery Materials business," said Michael Fetcenko, president of Ovonic Battery Co. "BASF’s expertise in materials science and processing technology is a tremendous resource and these synergies will accelerate Ovonic’s development of advanced NiMH solutions for consumer, vehicle and smart grid energy storage."

March 1, 2012
http://ir.a123systems.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=653121

A123 Systems to Supply Lithium Ion Battery Packs to Tata Motors for Hybrid Electric Transit Busses and Other Commercial Vehicles

A123's Advanced Nanophosphate Battery Systems Designed to Provide Tata With a Cost-Effective Solution for Meeting Performance, Safety and Durability Requirements

WALTHAM, Mass., March 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A123 Systems (Nasdaq:AONE), a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate® lithium iron phosphate batteries and systems, announced today that it will supply complete lithium ion battery packs to Tata Motors, India's largest automaker, for Tata's hybrid electric systems for commercial vehicle applications. A123's highly scalable battery packs are designed to fit into multiple powertrain architectures that can be implemented into a wide variety of commercial vehicles, providing Tata with a cost-effective solution for meeting its performance, range and durability requirements.

"We consider hybridization to be an integral component of Tata Motor's overall strategy, and hybridization of our commercial vehicles is particularly important to our global customers for reducing the emissions and increasing fuel efficiency of their fleets," said Dr. Timothy Leverton, Head - Advanced and Product Engineering at Tata Motors. "A123 Systems' core lithium ion technology has a proven track record of success in the hybrid truck and bus segment, which we believe represents a very significant market opportunity. In addition, the modularity of A123's pack design enables us to develop a uniform hybrid powertrain architecture that can be deployed across multiple vehicle platforms."

Initially expected to be deployed on city transit buses during the second half of 2012, A123's lithium iron phosphate battery packs will be built using the company's prismatic cell technology, which offers high power capabilities, increased usable energy over a wide state-of-charge (SOC) range, excellent safety and long cycle and calendar life. A123 will deliver complete systems that include robust battery management electronics, and the compact form factor of the prismatic cells enables A123 to design highly-scalable battery packs that are intended to seamlessly configure to Tata's hybrid electric powertrain architecture.

"The addition of Tata Motors to our growing portfolio of blue-chip customers reinforces our position as the leading provider of lithium ion battery technology for the truck and bus segment," said Jason Forcier, vice president of the Automotive Solutions Group at A123. "We believe that this announcement further validates the performance attributes of our Nanophosphate lithium iron phosphate technology and underscores our systems integration expertise. A123 understands the value proposition for commercial fleet hybridization, and we believe we can help Tata cost-effectively expand its portfolio of hybrid electric vehicle offerings to allow its customers to take advantage of the long-term benefits of fleet electrification."

About A123 Systems

A123 Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:AONE) is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium ion batteries and energy storage systems for transportation, electric grid and commercial applications. The company's proprietary Nanophosphate® lithium iron phosphate technology is built on novel nanoscale materials initially developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is designed to deliver high power and energy density, increased safety and extended life. A123 leverages breakthrough technology, high-quality manufacturing and expert systems integration capabilities to deliver innovative solutions that enable customers to bring next-generation products to market. For additional information please visit www.a123systems.com.

The A123 Systems, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6600

Safe Harbor Disclosure

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including statements with respect to the expected launch date of Tata's hybrid electric commercial vehicles, the anticipated benefits and features of hybridization, Tata's ability to develop and deploy a uniform hybrid powertrain architecture across multiple vehicle platforms, the ability of A123's pack design to integrate with Tata's powertrain architecture, the expected demand for battery modules to be supplied to Tata, and the market for hybrid electric energy transportation in heavy-duty and commercial transportation applications . Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: delays in customer and market demand for and adoption of Tata's hybrid electric commercial vehicles, delays in the development and delivery of A123's battery pack products, adverse economic conditions in general and adverse economic conditions specifically affecting the markets in which A123 and Tata operate and other risks detailed in A123 Systems' 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011 and other publicly available filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements reflect A123's expectations only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as reflecting A123's views, expectations or beliefs at any date subsequent to the date of this release.

A123 Systems PR Contact:
A123 Systems
Dan Borgasano
617-972-3471
dborgasano @ a123systems.com

A123 Systems IR Contact:                
ICR, LLC
Garo Toomajanian
617-972-3450
ir @ a123systems.com   

Edelman
Courtney Kessler
212-277-3720
courtney.kessler @ edelman.com

March 1, 2012
http://ir.a123systems.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=653121

A123 Systems to Supply Lithium Ion Battery Packs to Tata Motors for Hybrid Electric Transit Busses and Other Commercial Vehicles

A123's Advanced Nanophosphate Battery Systems Designed to Provide Tata With a Cost-Effective Solution for Meeting Performance, Safety and Durability Requirements

WALTHAM, Mass., March 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A123 Systems (Nasdaq:AONE), a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate® lithium iron phosphate batteries and systems, announced today that it will supply complete lithium ion battery packs to Tata Motors, India's largest automaker, for Tata's hybrid electric systems for commercial vehicle applications. A123's highly scalable battery packs are designed to fit into multiple powertrain architectures that can be implemented into a wide variety of commercial vehicles, providing Tata with a cost-effective solution for meeting its performance, range and durability requirements.

"We consider hybridization to be an integral component of Tata Motor's overall strategy, and hybridization of our commercial vehicles is particularly important to our global customers for reducing the emissions and increasing fuel efficiency of their fleets," said Dr. Timothy Leverton, Head - Advanced and Product Engineering at Tata Motors. "A123 Systems' core lithium ion technology has a proven track record of success in the hybrid truck and bus segment, which we believe represents a very significant market opportunity. In addition, the modularity of A123's pack design enables us to develop a uniform hybrid powertrain architecture that can be deployed across multiple vehicle platforms."

Initially expected to be deployed on city transit buses during the second half of 2012, A123's lithium iron phosphate battery packs will be built using the company's prismatic cell technology, which offers high power capabilities, increased usable energy over a wide state-of-charge (SOC) range, excellent safety and long cycle and calendar life. A123 will deliver complete systems that include robust battery management electronics, and the compact form factor of the prismatic cells enables A123 to design highly-scalable battery packs that are intended to seamlessly configure to Tata's hybrid electric powertrain architecture.

"The addition of Tata Motors to our growing portfolio of blue-chip customers reinforces our position as the leading provider of lithium ion battery technology for the truck and bus segment," said Jason Forcier, vice president of the Automotive Solutions Group at A123. "We believe that this announcement further validates the performance attributes of our Nanophosphate lithium iron phosphate technology and underscores our systems integration expertise. A123 understands the value proposition for commercial fleet hybridization, and we believe we can help Tata cost-effectively expand its portfolio of hybrid electric vehicle offerings to allow its customers to take advantage of the long-term benefits of fleet electrification."

About A123 Systems

A123 Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:AONE) is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium ion batteries and energy storage systems for transportation, electric grid and commercial applications. The company's proprietary Nanophosphate® lithium iron phosphate technology is built on novel nanoscale materials initially developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is designed to deliver high power and energy density, increased safety and extended life. A123 leverages breakthrough technology, high-quality manufacturing and expert systems integration capabilities to deliver innovative solutions that enable customers to bring next-generation products to market. For additional information please visit www.a123systems.com.

The A123 Systems, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6600

Safe Harbor Disclosure

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including statements with respect to the expected launch date of Tata's hybrid electric commercial vehicles, the anticipated benefits and features of hybridization, Tata's ability to develop and deploy a uniform hybrid powertrain architecture across multiple vehicle platforms, the ability of A123's pack design to integrate with Tata's powertrain architecture, the expected demand for battery modules to be supplied to Tata, and the market for hybrid electric energy transportation in heavy-duty and commercial transportation applications . Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: delays in customer and market demand for and adoption of Tata's hybrid electric commercial vehicles, delays in the development and delivery of A123's battery pack products, adverse economic conditions in general and adverse economic conditions specifically affecting the markets in which A123 and Tata operate and other risks detailed in A123 Systems' 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011 and other publicly available filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements reflect A123's expectations only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as reflecting A123's views, expectations or beliefs at any date subsequent to the date of this release.

A123 Systems PR Contact:
A123 Systems
Dan Borgasano
617-972-3471
dborgasano @ a123systems.com

A123 Systems IR Contact:                
ICR, LLC
Garo Toomajanian
617-972-3450
ir @ a123systems.com   

Edelman
Courtney Kessler
212-277-3720
courtney.kessler @ edelman.com

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/world-record-energy-density-rechargeable-lithium-ion-batteries.html

Breakthrough World Record Energy Density For Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery

John Laumer
Technology / Clean Technology
March 1, 2012

© Envia Systems

You'll find more than one post here on Treehugger describing a 'lithium battery breakthrough.' Given that many non-hydrocarbon based energy breakthroughs we wrote about were destined to become fall-throughs, a healthy amount of skepticism is always appropriate when you see a headline like the above.

Successful new technologies often start out small.
Let's frame the 400Wh/kg breakthrough announcement with an analogy or two.

Four years ago I'd never have imagined that I'd own a cheap, light, highly-effective standup vacuum cleaner that runs on one small lithium battery. I have one of those now and it's amazing.

Anyone remember how sucky laptops were back in the early 1990s? PC magazines had ongoing debates as to whether laptops should be called "transportables" because they were so hot and heavy no one wanted one on their lap. Twenty years later, few consumers buy "desktops" anymore and laptop makers are tripping over themselves to emulate the super-thin Apple design -- a design enabled specifically because battery power density, form, and cost became favorable! (The choice of thin, aircraft grade aluminum shell by Apple is the other reason the design works out so well.)

The Holy Grail of Electric Vehicles: High battery power density and low OEM manufacturing cost
Will the Chevy Volt turn out, Apple-like, to have the energy storage system other car makers want to copy? Perhaps. Not giving it any odds, but the just-announced high power density lithium battery cell by Envia Systems looks like it has the potential to make Republican bailout-whiners and astroturf Volt-mockers eat their words.

From the press release of General Motors.

DETROIT -- General Motors Ventures LLC invested $7 million in Newark, Calif.-based Envia Systems to provide GM’s battery engineering team with access to advanced lithium-ion cathode technology that delivers higher cell energy density and lower cost. In a separate agreement, GM has secured the right to use Envia’s advanced cathode material for future GM electrically driven vehicles.

“Skeptics have suggested it would probably be many years before lithium-ion batteries with significantly lower cost and higher capability are available, potentially limiting sales of electric vehicles for the foreseeable future,” said Jon Lauckner, president of GM Ventures. “In fact, our announcement today demonstrates that major improvements are already on the horizon.”

Other participating investors in Envia are Asahi Kasei and Asahi Glass; as well as current investors Bay Partners, Redpoint and Panagea Ventures. The funding of the investor group totaled $17 million.

“With our high-capacity manganese rich cathode material, Envia is addressing two key issues in the next-generation battery cells – higher capability and lower cost,” said Atul Kapadia, founding investor, chairman and CEO of Envia Systems. “The investments announced today from GM and the two new strategic investors, demonstrate the excitement around our technology, as well as the importance of the challenge.

Outstanding issues and questions.
Looks like Envia makes their cells in China. Could that be in-sourced at the insistence of a major customer?

Is the lithium battery recyclable? It's already fairly obvious that Envia has made their cells intrinsically safe (see below).

© Envia Systems

By isolating and insulating so effectively, do the lithium salts in the electrolyte become more difficult to liberate for reclamation? Which is more important: recyclability or fire safety under crash conditions? How can journalists get voters and politicians to stop thinking of each such variable in isolation and think instead about design tradeoffs?

© Envia Systems

Can members of the US Congress no longer invest in such ventures, after making laws that affect them ...really?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

3M Invests in Novel Silicon Anode for Lithium Ion Batteries

3M Research to Pioneer the Future; Company Expands Manufacturing

3M has a number of product solutions and a broad based technology portfolio targeting lithium ion batteries including 3M(TM) Battery Anode, 3M(TM) Battery Cathode and 3M(TM) Battery Electrolyte.  

ST. PAUL, Minn. – March 15, 2012 – 3M, the leading United States (U.S.) battery materials supplier, is investing in research and manufacturing of novel Silicon (Si) based 3M anode materials. The technology enables advanced batteries for reliable power that is required to keep up with the global increase of mobile societies and electric vehicles.

3M was recently granted another U.S. patent, 8,071,238 for its Silicon anode compositions that can increase cell capacity by over 40 percent when matched with high-energy battery cathodes. The company has invested resources and expertise toward commercialization of battery technology for the past 15 years.

3M’s investments into the high-energy metal based anode for lithium ion batteries include matching a recent U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant for $4.6 million as part of efforts to build more energy-efficient vehicles. The research will help to develop and integrate new cell materials that will make a transformative change in energy density and in cost in lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Especially critical to the project success is 3M’s Si based anode material. The 3M investment in research and development includes putting in 3M’s best battery materials technology for cathode, anode and battery electrolyte additives into the project.

“3M has a proven track record of being an innovator in battery materials, and we are committed to supporting the growing U.S. and global lithium ion battery industry,” said Chris Milker, business development manager for 3M Electronic Markets Materials Division. “Our investment into research and development, coupled with our experience and portfolio of more than 40 core technologies – including nanotechnology, adhesives, precision coating, fluoromaterials – give us the tools and confidence in our ability to develop next-generation materials for better cells.”

The new research efforts deepen 3M’s rich history of sustainability and in making a global impact through innovation. The research expands upon the company’s long-standing initiatives in the battery market to commercialize battery technology for electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

In addition to its investment in robust research and development, 3M recently completed the first phase of Silicon anode manufacturing capacity expansion in early 2012 in its Cottage Grove, Minn., facility. The expansion included the installation of large-scale manufacturing equipment specialized to 3M and its proprietary anode chemistry. The U.S.-based facility will provide Si anode material to 3M’s global battery customers.

3M is well ahead of its time in pioneering research for lithium ion battery materials, which began in the 1990s for early auto market applications. Lithium ion batteries are a common source of power for laptop computers and electronic handheld devices and emerged as a power source for battery powered hand tools. In addition, 3M lithium ion technology is emerging for transport applications including the hybrid vehicles market. Because of the company’s consistent investment into the industry, 3M has uniquely developed three critical battery materials used in lithium ion batteries. These include silicon anode chemistry, novel cathode technologies (nickel, manganese, cobalt) and electrolyte (salts and additives). 

Besides battery cathode, anode and electrolyte technologies, 3M also offers tapes and adhesives for assembly of consumer electronics and fluids to manage heat during the manufacture of electronic devices. Using its broad portfolio of battery materials, 3M has the unique capability to integrate these materials to solve customers’ battery problems.

For more information about 3M battery materials, visit www.3m.com/batterymaterials

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 84,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

# # #

Contacts:

Colleen Harris

3M

651-733-1566

Stephani Simon

Orange Communications

(612) 677-2021

ssimon @ orange77.com

From:

3M Public Relations and Corporate Communications

3M Center, Building 225-1S-15

St. Paul, MN 55144-1000

http://www.idtechex.com/electric-vehicles-usa-12

ELECTRIC VEHICLES LAND, SEA & AIR USA 2012

The only event covering all forms of EVs and their parts for land, sea and air

27-28 March, 2012

DoubleTree Hilton Hotel

2050 Gateway Place

San Jose, CA 95110

USA

Most major breakthroughs in design and technology appear in other electric vehicles before they appear in cars. Whether by land, sea or air, electric vehicles need motors, controls, batteries and often supercapacitors plus advanced structural composites. Just over 1.6 million electric cars will be sold worldwide this year, including hybrids. But the total number of all types of EVs sold will be much greater - reaching over 39 million. In terms of units sold, that will mostly be e-bikes and vehicles for the disabled, but industrial/commercial vehicles will have four times their market value. Serious players must look at all of this - and IDTechEx now makes this possible.

Toyota Motor, Mr Greg Glander, Government Sales & Advanced Technology Vehicle Manager

Tuesday March 27, 2012
10:45 - 11:10 "Toyota Sustainable Mobility - Toyota's 2012 line-up of advanced technology vehicles"
Toyota's 2012 line-up of advanced technology vehicles

LiTHIUM BALANCE, Mr Tunji Adebusuyi, Research & Development

12:00 - 12:25 "High Performance Battery Management using Distributed Intelligence Architecture"
Safe, efficient and cost effective energy storage is key to the electrification of transport
Energy and investment continue to pour into battery development and battery management has to keep up
LiTHIUM BALANCE are using a new methodology to create the next generation BMS to be truly universal, usable by OEMs and aftermarket producers alike but at an affordable price point both in prototype quantities and volume.

OXIS Energy, Dr Mark Crittenden, Customer Brand Manager

12:25 - 12:50 "The Dawn of a New Era in Rechargeable Battery Technology - Why Polymer Lithium Sulfur is no Longer a Theory for Electric Vehicles?"
OXIS's Polymer Lithium Sulphur is the breakthrough technology required for the Worldwide electric vehicle markets
OXIS can explain this breakthrough by demonstrating how it has overcome the challenges of Lithium-Sulphur electrochemistry
OXIS can demonstrate its technology powering applications safely in the vehicles and the defence sectors

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Can PolyPlus's Batteries Power the Future?

By Alexandra Dean on April 05, 2012
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-05/can-polypluss-batteries-power-the-future

As any high school chemistry teacher will tell you, mixing lithium with water results in a pretty nasty explosion. So Steven Visco delights in dropping lithium batteries into a fish tank. As unsuspecting orange and white clownfish float by, the credit card-size battery sinks to the bottom. Electrons from the lithium in the battery are drawn toward oxygen from the water, illuminating a small light attached to the battery. “When we put that electrode in water and saw it was completely stable, it was a holy crap-type thing,” says Visco, a chemist who also works on fuel-cell technology at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “And then we started to think about batteries we hadn’t even dreamed about.”

PolyPlus’s innovation is a ceramic seal that lets the battery pull oxygen from the water to create a controlled chemical reaction. Per gram of weight, the batteries last six times longer than anything commercially available, Visco says—which could ultimately add up to big profits for PolyPlus, the Berkeley (Calif.) battery research company he co-founded in 1990.

The trouble is, they work best underwater, so they’re not practical for use in most electronics or electric vehicles, the biggest potential markets. Visco’s team is using the water breakthrough to create a lithium battery powered by air, another substance previously thought too combustible to combine with the element, which should work for gadgets and cars.

Ultimately, the new battery could replace today’s lithium-ion models, which work by tapping energy released when lithium reacts with a metal oxide in the battery. Visco’s invention is lighter because it substitutes the metal oxide with water or air, which don’t need to be stored inside the battery. “This is a big deal,” says Arun Majumdar, director of ARPA-E, a federal agency that has given PolyPlus $5 million over the past two years. “No one else has the materials or the understanding that PolyPlus has.”

Now, PolyPlus faces what Visco calls its “valley of death” moment. Although the 27-employee company has no significant revenues, it has received $25 million in government grants and $15 million in equity investments from early backers over the past two decades, and holds nearly 100 patents. Visco says PolyPlus could start production of lithium-water batteries by 2014 and early lithium-air models the following year.

He estimates he needs another $25 million in private capital to do more research, build factories, and fend off powerful challengers such as IBM (IBM), General Electric (GE), and Toyota (TM), which are working on similar technology. PolyPlus “will need to rely more on both financial investors, in the form of venture capitalists, and strategic investors, potentially in the form of future partners,” says Robert Townsend, a lawyer at Morrison Foerster in San Francisco who acts as an informal adviser to the company.

PolyPlus faces one big technical problem: Its lithium-air battery can be recharged just 40 to 50 times, vs. thousands of times for traditional lithium-ion batteries. Until that hurdle can be overcome, the batteries won’t likely appeal to electronics companies and carmakers. That could make investors skittish. “Rechargeability is paramount for us,” says Bill Wallace, director of global battery systems for General Motors (GM). Wallace says GM’s venture arm would invest in a company like PolyPlus, but only if the batteries can be recharged a couple of hundred times or more.

Visco would like to expand incre-mentally, first perfecting a lithium-water battery, then non-rechargeable lithium-air, and finally a rechargeable lithium-air battery that, a decade from now, could power cars. To raise the necessary funds from venture capitalists, though, PolyPlus may have to abandon that timetable and concentrate on the biggest hurdle, rechargeability. “It’s probably a good idea … to try and solve the hardest problems first,” says David Wells, a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which is not invested in PolyPlus. “Venture is a hit business. You don’t get hits by aiming low.”

Visco fears VCs might push him into an early initial public offering, which could bring the lithium-air battery to market before it’s ready, leaving buyers unimpressed and limiting potential sales. He says he’s reluctant to be “forced into a position where you have to have a public offering,” which could lead to more competition in the field. An IPO “has to be a lot of noise, a tremendous public awareness,” he says.

For now, Visco is wooing strategic partners such as manufacturers and lithium miners to raise cash to start production of lithium-water batteries, which he says are ideal for powering sensors that monitor offshore oil rigs, submarine activity, and tsunamis. Most big underwater batteries today are toxic; Visco says his are entirely benign. Just as important, his batteries might last twice as long as today’s models—years on a single charge. “The ocean,” Visco says, “is going to be a bigger market than we even can map out now.”

The bottom line: PolyPlus’s batteries last many times longer than today’s models, but they can’t yet be recharged often enough to work in cars and gadgets.

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Elon Musk,
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CEO and CTO | SpaceX, Chairman | Solar City.

Thoughts on transitioning to 100% renewable energy Is solar really part of the solution? Are batteries really sustainable?

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Solar Battery Thinner Than Human Hair Is World's Thinnest and Lightest

Jaymi Heimbuch
Technology / Solar Technology
April 4, 2012
http://www.treehugger.com/solar-technology/spider-silk-solar-battery-worlds-thinnest-and-lightest.html

A battery with a thickness of just 1.8 micrometers could be a solution for ultra-thin, ultra-light energy storage for small devices. At 1.8 micrometers, it is thinner than a strand of spider silk and is one tenth the thickness of the thinnest solar cells available. It is also elastic, similar to spider silk.

The device is not just a battery but an incredibly thin solar cell as well, which means it can gather its own charge.

Smart Planet writes, "In order to create the battery, the scientists applied ink containing an organic semiconductor to plastic film that measures 1.4 micrometers in thickness. According to the researchers, the thinnest battery to date was 25 micrometers. One gram of the solar battery produces 10 watts of energy. The efficiency of conversion from solar power to electricity is 4.2 percent, substantially lower than typical solar panels. However, the new battery can function without conversion rate drops when folded or bent. According to the team, the spider-silk soar batteries can also be made cheaply."

According to the researchers, this miniscule solar cell and battery could power small personal devices such as air quality sensors. Or perhaps, larger versions could be used to power electronics in remote or hard-to-access places such as sensors on bridges or towers. Additionally, it is a durable battery.

Tsuyoshi Sekitani from the University of Tokyo states, "Power generation by solar cells increases with their size. As this device is soft, it is less prone to damage by bending even if it gets bigger."

The researchers hope that within the next five years, they will be able to increase the solar cell's efficiency to a rate that makes it competitive in the market.