Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Unveiled 270
mobilemag writes "Sion Power is showing off its new Lithium-Sulfur battery design this week at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC). SION believes that its new Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries are the answer to the power hungry devices on the market today."
Isn't this already obsolete? (Score:4, Interesting)
Just in case the server crashes and burns... (Score:2, Troll)
The mirror of http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/102/C2838/ is at http://mirrorit.demonmoo.com/r_384/www.mobilemag.
Re:Isn't this already obsolete? (Score:5, Informative)
the Ultralife rechargable batteries
have half (max 162 Wh/kg) the energy
density of the new Sion Lithium-Sulphur
cells (300 Wh/kg).
See:
Sion tech description
Ultralife batteries specs sheet
Re:Isn't this already obsolete? (Score:3, Informative)
Sion tech description [sionpower.com]
Ultralife batteries specs sheet [ultralifebatteries.com]
Re:Isn't this already obsolete? (Score:4, Informative)
Ultralife [army-technology.com]
And the reason why this old article obsoletes these newly unveiled magic technology (specifically talked about within) is in this quote:
"The future of lithium battery technology lies in Li/MnO2, a solid-cathode chemistry. Unlike both Lithium/Sulphur Dioxide (Li/SO2) and Lithium/Thionyl Chloride (Li/SOCl2), which are liquid-cathode chemistries, Li/MnO2 does not suffer from the effects of passivation, which causes liquid-cathode batteries to suffer from a voltage delay phenomenon causing the cell voltage to be depressed when a load is applied, particularly after extended periods of storage with no use. This condition is exacerbated at low temperatures resulting in the possibility that a liquid cathode battery may not start up when called into use. Li/MnO2 batteries, which are inherently safer than the other types of lithium batteries, do not suffer from the voltage delay phenomenon."
Re:Isn't this already obsolete? (Score:2)
Bloody Yanks... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bloody Yanks... (Score:5, Funny)
The Lord has sent these here batteries to power the iBooks of the Sodomites, and will smite them mightily!
Re:Bloody Yanks... (Score:3, Funny)
he Lord has sent these here batteries to power the iBooks of the Sodomites, and will smite them mightily!
And in my wobbly bits, no less!
Re:Bloody Yanks... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Bloody Yanks... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bloody Brits... (Score:3, Funny)
Scroll all the way to the bottom if you need help finding the address of their UK office. Also, work on your grammar and spelling; it's appa(u)lling.
Re:Bloody Yanks... (Score:2)
Re:Bloody Yanks... (Score:3, Interesting)
The Straight Dope [straightdope.com] tells the story.
Li-S? (Score:2, Funny)
Toxic vaporware. (Score:2, Informative)
I thought it said they were shipping samples now. The several-years business is about when they might be competitive as a general service laptop battery.
= = = = =
But that looks like pretty TOXIC vaporware.
Not that the other battery technologies don't contain toxic substances, of course. (Cadmium, for instance, is pretty nasty if you ingest it.) But high-energy storage devices like this are prone to catching fire if they develop an internal short.
Excellent for the Chinese Market (Score:5, Funny)
Li-S could be easily packed into the tinniest devices
That means it'll be great for powering my tinny DVD, my tinny digital camera, in fact anything tinny and of far-Eastern manufacture.
Tinny (Score:2)
Re:Excellent for the Chinese Market (Score:5, Funny)
Oh good, I can finally have a heart!
-TM
Re:Excellent for the Chinese Market (Score:2)
Re:Excellent for the Chinese Market (Score:2)
Re:Excellent for the Chinese Market (Score:3, Informative)
Think back; pretty much every battery that has ever existed has had volatile materials in it. Earlier batteries had less volatile chemicals, but also stored less energy per unit weight. It goes with the territory of being a chemical power source.
-Z
elements != compounds (Score:3, Informative)
The properties of an element contribute to the properties of the compound (e.g., fluorine sucks up electrons, which is why trifluoroacetic acid is so much more acidic than acetic acid / vinegar), but like so much else in life, it's very context-specific.
Re:Excellent for the Chinese Market (Score:2)
Very nice. (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah right. (Score:4, Insightful)
Right, so much for 'news'. Call me when "still 3-5 years away" becomes "now available", then we'll give it a good look. As for fuel cells, they have been coming "Real Soon Now" (C) since... What? ... 2000 or so? Chances are we'll be stuck with Li-Ion batteries for quite a few years to come.
Re:Yeah right. (Score:4, Informative)
The biggest problem of putting fuel cells into small electronics is the heat generated. Only the PEM [dodfuelcell.com] (Proton Exchange Membrane) type fuel cell can operate at low temperatures (as low as 80 C). Obviously this is a little too warm, so it isn't really useful for an MP3 player just yet.
PEM fuel cells must operate with hydrogen or use an external reformer to seperate hydrogen from a hydrocarbon. The big thing that prevents PEM fuel cells from becoming commercially viable (like being used in cars) is that a platinum catalyst must be used so most of the research on PEM fuel cells is to reduce the amount of platinum needed.
Re:Yeah right. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Yeah right. (Score:2, Informative)
errr.... 2004 + (3-5 years) = 2007-2009.
So polymer electrolyte fuel cells and Li-S will be out at around the same time?
cool (Score:5, Funny)
Re:cool (Score:4, Funny)
Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the approach that Apple takes. Their iBook line gets ~4 hours on a single charge. The problem is that they're bumping up against the lower limits of power consumption while still offering reasonable performance. If you want lower power consumption, you're going to have to give something up. That something is screen size, processor speed, hard disk, and memory.
Personally, I'd like a little Pu-238 to power my laptop with. I figure that about 600 grams would power my laptop nonstop for ~40 years.
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:2)
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:2)
And the current batteries don't?
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Funny)
"The battery that kills you long before it runs out"
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Informative)
1. Pu-238 is an Alpha Emitter.
2. Alpha particles can't penetrate your skin (or even a sheet of paper) and are only dangerous if they are inhaled.
3. From the EPA [epa.gov]: "The isotope, plutonium-238, is not useful for nuclear weapons. However it generates significant heat through its decay process, which make it useful as a power source. Using a thermocouple, a device that converts heat into electric power, satellites rely on plutonium as a power source. Tiny amounts also provide power to heart pacemakers."
Know anyone who's got a pacemaker?
The radiation might not be the problem (Score:3, Insightful)
This [llnl.gov] and other articles state that the toxicity of Pu is not that
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:3, Informative)
The who thing could be miniaturized more by using a tiny SRG (Stirling Radioisotope Generator). You see, instead of a thermocouple, an SRG is a tiny Stirling engine. The PU-238 heats the air inside the piston, the piston rise until an exhaust port is reached,
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Interesting)
Personally, I think the laptop fuel cell [mobilemag.com] mentioned in the article is a million times more interesting than this battery. Available as soon as 2007, they say, with capacity about four times higher than conventional batteries and of course the ability to be refueled instantly.
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Funny)
That's the funniest thing I've heard today. What else are they used in? Salads?
Matthew
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:2)
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:3, Interesting)
the problem with (for example)ms smartphones vs other smartphones? battery life.
Ms's answer to a problem that to most people seems like a software proble: increase battery. Too bad for them that doesn't really make them any better choice for os(because obviously the competing one's could go even longer on this new battery).
the real reason for this announcement at there? they just 'need' the pr, and to start a rumour or few going on in
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:2)
Strangely, humans can be grouped to work on these tasks simultaneously. Overlook some minor/major faults and we are rather miraculous.
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:2)
Re:Fix a different problem... (Score:5, Interesting)
Every time a 1 becomes a 0, the battery is charged.
Every time a 0 becomes a 1, the battery is drained a bit.
Only when the battery is empty would external power above the recycling overhead be required. I guess the question is whether this can be done while keeping the amount of energy needed for the recycling circuits below the amount of energy saved.
Hmmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Light on details? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Light on details? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Light on details? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Light on details? (Score:2, Interesting)
In 3-5 years... (Score:2)
Re:In 3-5 years... (Score:2)
Re:In 3-5 years... (Score:2)
And as far as transportation goes, we are putting all sorts of research into fuel cells and still haven't found anything remotely practical, while electric rail has been economical for years.
It would will be cool if there is a breakthrough in fuel cell technology, but I am not counting on it.
Personally, I would love fuel cells... (Score:2)
If there were commercially available and low-cost fuel cell batteries that ran on butane, gasoline or methanol - I would all over them!
The hacking potential alone - sure, the initial ones might come as "non-refillable" or only refillable with special "cartridges" - but a dedicated hardware hacker could pull out the PEMs and such easily. Then it would be a simple matter to combine them and make a custom fuel cell for all kinds of uses.
I am in the (long) process of building a small elec
The Manufacturer has more information (Score:5, Informative)
Someone else (Score:2)
Re:Someone else (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Someone else (Score:2)
"Pull my finger" (Score:3, Funny)
Standard Cell Sizes? (Score:5, Insightful)
The thing that's so attractive to me about NiMH's is they come in standard AAA and AA sizes. I make sure all my electronics take those (instead of say Lithimum Ion, which is usually proprietary), and then I can run everything on the same "fleet" of batteries.
I hope this tech follows suit. (I imagine it won't at first, but will eventually)
Re:Standard Cell Sizes? (Score:2)
Sorry buddy, standards are good, but backwards compatibility is only good so long as you don't make significant sacrifices for it.
Re:Standard Cell Sizes? (Score:3, Interesting)
Sulfur huh? (Score:2, Funny)
LK
Only 300 recharges? (Score:2, Informative)
Presumably, the price of the new battery will be higher than existing batteries, and it sounds like it could be a big annoyance factor to be worse than existing batteries. Would anyone spend the extra money for something that isn't that much better than what we have now? Supply and demand, and all
Re:Only 300 recharges? (Score:2, Flamebait)
A modern Lithium Ion battery can only be recharged about 100 times before it starts to fail rapidly, and the charge from those lasts 2-3 hours.
How, exactly, is this supposed to be bad again? Oh yeah, you're an idio
Mmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
A. A horse's head in my bed.
... or reduce power consumption! (Score:4, Insightful)
The major reason we need these ultra-fast and hot Pentiums in our machines is crap, inefficient software. Look at Longhorn: it wants 2G of RAM and a two CPUs.
A friend of mine has a RiscOS box running a 100MHz ARM cpu. It is slicker than my Winshit PC with a 2GHz processor.
Re:... or reduce power consumption! (Score:3, Insightful)
The point is that you do not really have to use XP or even an x86 CPU. Those programs could be compiled for other chips and OSs.
Some day X86 is going to run out of steam.
Re:... or reduce power consumption! (Score:2)
While Moore's Law is used as the solution to the processing bottleneck, the software will just get worse and CPU/power consumption will continue to grow. Microsoft is not motivated in any way to make their software more efficient.
Meanwhile... (Score:3, Funny)
Impact on the environment... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Impact on the environment... (Score:3, Funny)
Hence disposing of these things will rot the environment and invoke the wrath of the Lord. If you buy one, you'd best keep it forever, or else you can reasonably expect at least three plagues, and probably being struck by lightning and turned to stone as well.
At first I thought it read... (Score:2, Funny)
what is the big deal? (Score:2, Interesting)
Did I miss something?
Re:what is the big deal? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sulphur: 2*4.5 = 9 Wh
NiMH : 1.25*5 = 6.25 Wh
So sulphur is better, if not by that much.
OMG sulfur is teh stink! (Score:5, Informative)
UPS systems also use AGM (absorbed glass mat) lead acid batteries. Don't smell any farts coming out of your UPS, do you?
Likewise, no, your laptop or PDA will not smell because of a battery containing sulfur. You'll have to keep blaming your flatulence on the dog.
Re:OMG sulfur is teh stink! (Score:2)
Re:OMG sulfur is teh stink! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:OMG sulfur is teh stink! (Score:4, Informative)
I think that the sulfur containing batteries are using alkyl sulfate, SO3- (immobilized, bonded on the polymer), no smell. However, there is another possibility that the polymer is using mercaptans or alkyl thiols. Depending on the purity of the polymer, it can stink (not completely bonded with leftover thiols) or not stink (all are bonded, without any leftover thiols).
The alkyl sulfate polymer make sense as charge carriers, but the Li+ could be too intimate (closely bonded) to the SO3- group to make it a viable group. OTOH, alkyl thiols can work just as good, however these polymeric compounds are not quite that easy to synthesize. PEO, polyethylene oxide (CH2CH2O)x, is a polymer that has been used for many battery applications. Possibly, they could have something close to PEO using sulfur.
Ok (Score:2, Funny)
The phrases are meant to de-sensitize people to gluttony so they will drive 4.5 ton trucks with 18-inch wheels to the grocery store.
This means.. (Score:5, Funny)
Could laptops once again be portable? (Score:5, Interesting)
With gaming laptops weighing in at nearly 10lbs. [techtv.com] and a battery life between 50 minutes and two hours, it seems they are less than portable.
Perhaps the Lithium-Sulfur batteries can provide a reasonable amount of time without adding weight--bringing portability back to laptops. Afterall, all of the wireless technologies are useless when you're tied to an AC outlet.
Re:Could laptops once again be portable? (Score:3, Interesting)
The standard P4, K7 or K8 doesn't have a "battery mode" or any other realistic way to conserve battery power.
I don't understand why that Hypersonic Aviator has a full-blown P4 with 800MHz FSB while also using an ATI Mobility Radeon, that seems to be an odd combination. If they aren't worried about weight, power consumption or size, the extra few chips to put in a standard R
Re:Could laptops once again be portable? (Score:3, Interesting)
Due to its size and battery drain, it's not particularly good for using on a plane, or at a conference, or really anywhere you don't have a table to set it on and a nearby outlet. But really, the difference between
This has great potential (Score:3, Funny)
Umm...I mean something running GNU/Linux ofcourse!
Really? (Score:4, Funny)
Really?
They're an answer to Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Microsoft?
The real reason they used Sulphur... (Score:3, Funny)
More powerful batteries are nice, but... (Score:3, Insightful)
furthermore: stop writting/using bloated software!!! i can run my word processor/ of choice on a couple mb or ram, with the HD spun down for hours.... on a machines with less than 20mb of ram and a 33mhz processor... of course i use these same applications on more modern hardware.
point is: efficient software/hardware can save much more power than these new batteries can provide. yeah, new batteries are great- but why does simple computing have to be so damn energy intensive???
My Lithium 2 cents (Score:5, Informative)
First a few things about Lithium based batteries. When they say a cycle life of 300 or 500 cycles that means the 80% thresh hold. In other words at 300 or 500 cycles, the "lifetime" of the battery you will still see 80% capacity when all those cycles are through. That doesn't signify the end of the battery either, we have some LG Chemical Lithium Ions (176 Wh/kg) that are 4 years old and still doing well. The problem is that after 2 years the chemicals inside the battery start reacting and could theoretically internally short, causing a dead battery, fires, or the classic cell phone battery explosion, yes that can happen. For this reason we are going to be disposing of those batteries soon, they pose a chemical hazard, you should also do that after 2 years with your cell phone battery just incase.
In comparison to Nickels, Li batteries are much better 90-95% charge efficient (what you get out compared to what you put in). Nickels range from 60-75%. They are MUCH more energy dense (175 Wh/Kg - 500 Wh/Kg (theoretical limit I think)) while Nickels range in the 75 Wh/Kg range. And oh yeah Lithiums don't get hot, one crucial issue with Nickel based batteries is the end of charge temperature can hit 150+. Also cycle life is better Nickels can get about 200 cycles before they hit the 80% mark, and well that is only if you treat them very nicely. Lithiums are more forgiving with some missuse (just don't over volt them).
So all in all Lithium Chemistries are pretty much the best battery format out there now, and for a while too. Lithium is the most energy dense element after all. This is why everyone is switching over to them for just about any serious work. sure cycle life is low, nothing compared to a Lead Acid, but companies are working on that, hell 5 years ago a lithium cell that lasted 200 cycles was impressive now Kokam sells Lithiums with 500 cycles and still 80% life with a starting capacity of over 200 Wh/Kg, roughly 4 times as energy dense as a Lead Acid.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far.
Re:Sulfur? (Score:2)
Re:Sulfur? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Sulfur? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Mmmm sulfur (Score:2)
Re:Mmmm sulfur (Score:5, Informative)
We produce tons of sulfur waste every day simply because it's an abundant element to begin with. It may not smell nice when mixed with other things (as pure sulfur in its crytal form is nearly oderless), but it doesn't pose a significant health risk.
Heavy metals, petrolium distilates, and other exotic chemicals are still the greatest threat to landfill leaching.
All in all, with only 300 charges, I'll keep my fingers crossed they come up with something better.
Re:Mmmm sulfur (Score:2)
No. It's the diapers. I really feel sorry for 30th century archaelogists as they dig through mountains of partially-decomposed diapers. And what will they think? ....
Re:Mmmm sulfur (Score:2, Informative)
Re:conservation of mass (Score:2)
Well, then you proably won't mind if we dump some extra mercury in your drinking water. There won't be any more of it overall, it'll just be in a different place. Concentrated.