With the recalls of nearly 6 million Dell and Apple Li-ion batteries, all made by Sony, the focus of attention in the battery world has sharply moved toward Li-ion batteries, how they work, and if they can be made safer.
MIT’s Technology Review has an article titled “Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries”. It describes new batteries being made by A123Systems of Watertown, MA, and Valence Technology of Austin, Texas which use a different material, iron oxide instead of cobalt oxide.
According to Yet-Ming Chiang, materials science and engineering professor at MIT and a founder of A123, the cobalt-oxide or related oxide materials typically used in lithium-ion batteries become unstable if overcharged or overheated, which can happen in the case of battery damage or a fault in the manufacturing process that leads to an internal short. The unstable materials release oxygen, oxidizing other materials in the battery, which in turn produces more heat. The cycle continues in a process called “thermal runaway,” which in some cases can lead to a violent explosion. Source: Technology Review
What’s the problem with this? The only problem is the new batteries have less capacity and less runtime. Still, with the focus on safety right now, would we be willing to give some runtime up? I sure would. If I really want long battery life now, I generally take a 2nd battery with me, and I always carry my adapter.
Tags: Technology, Mobile, Laptop, Notebook, Battery, Li-ion, Lithium-ion
