TECHNOLOGY NEWS ITEM - Panasonic's Si-alloy anode technology to offer 30% increase in battery capacity
FROM: PHYSORG.COM
March 1, 2010 by Lisa Zyga
Silicon-alloy anodes could accelerate the rate of increase of battery
capacity. Capacity has been increasing at about 11% annually until now, but
this new development represents an annual increase of 18%.
*One promising modification to next-generation rechargeable Li-ion batteries
involves using Si-alloy anodes instead of graphite, which is currently the
most common anode material. Many battery manufacturers are developing
Si-alloy anodes, with Hitachi Maxell having previously announced plans to
begin volume production by the end of fiscal 2009. Now, with its
announcement of beginning volume production in 2012, Panasonic is the first
company to reveal specifications of its Si-alloy anode product.*
Namely, the batteries, which measure 18mm in diameter and 65 mm in length,
will offer a 4.0Ah capacity - that's almost 30% higher than the largest
capacity (3.1Ah) of today's batteries of the same size. Panasonic plans to
use the batteries primarily in notebook PCs, in which the Si-alloy anode
makes it possible to cut the volume of a standard notebook PC battery pack by
about half. Panasonic also hinted at using the batteries in vehicles in the
future, although the battery's weight will have to be reduced.
*Full article at http://www.physorg.com/news186688169.html*