Graphene batteries: Introduction and Market News - Page 39

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a battery-like hydrogen fuel cell, which surrounds hydrogen-absorbing magnesium nanocrystals with graphene oxide sheets to improve its performance.

The graphene shields the nanocrystals from oxygen, moisture and contaminants, while tiny, natural holes allow the smaller hydrogen molecules to pass through. This filtering process overcomes common problems degrading the performance of metal hydrids for hydrogen storage. The graphene-encapsulated magnesium crystals act as "sponges" for hydrogen, offering a very compact and safe way to take in and store hydrogen. The nanocrystals also permit faster fueling, and reduce the overall size.

The graphene keynote speech in the MWC 2016 included Nokia's Head of Business Line, Tapani Ryhanen's talk on graphene activity in Nokia.

It was a fascinating segment that shed light on the company's graphene-related activities, some of which (as can be seen in the image above) are energy storage applications, sensors, various electronic devices, photonics, optoelectronics and even graphene manufacturing - which shows that the company is really aiming at completing a full circle of graphene use.

Today we published a new version of our Graphene Batteries Market Report. Graphene-Info provides comprehensive niche Graphene market reports, and our reports cover everything you need to know about the niche market, and can be useful if you want to understand how the graphene industry works and what this technology can provide for your own industry.

The Graphene Batteries Market Report:

• The advantages using graphene batteries
• The different ways graphene can be used in batteries
• Various types of graphene materials
• What's on the market today
• Detailed specifications of some graphene-enhanced anode material
• Personal contact details into most graphene developers

The report package provides a great introduction to the graphene batteries market - present and future. Read more here!

Sunvault Energy and Edison Power Company announced that they have signed a solar energy generation and large scale battery storage project in Delaware. The total size of the project is 484kW with both Solar Photovoltaics and 600kW/300kWh Battery Storage for 3 fire stations.

The project is meant to start immediately as Sunvault has existing inventory of solar panels to begin project design and construction. The Company plans to utilize the Sunvault / Edison Graphene Electrical Energy Storage device (EESD) as the "battery" component within the projects, further demonstrating the technology in actual field.

Graphene has great potential to improve various components used in mobile devices, from transparent flexible screens to next-gen batteries, through durable phone casings, sensors, and powerful processors. Don't miss our new article on graphene for the mobile industry!

The MWC 2016 the world's largest event for the mobile industry held in Barcelona, Spain, will feature an entire pavilion dedicated to graphene in regards to the mobile world, an exciting precedent that emphasizes the growing attention that graphene is receiving in the technological world. The Graphene-Info team will attend the MWC 2016. If you wish to schedule a meeting with us, contact us here.

The Spanish Graphenano recently introduced, together with its Chinese partner Chint, graphene polymer batteries that reportedly allow for a range of 800 kilometers in electric vehicles and can be charged in a few minutes. The batteries are meant for domestic use, in the automotive sector (both cars and bicycles), drones or even pacemakers.

The batteries are supposed to be manufactured in Yecla (Murcia), Spain, and the companies hope to have operational prototypes in mid-2016 and commercial batteries at the end of this year. The batteries are said to have a density of 1,000 Wh / kg and a voltage of 2,3V. Independent analyses by TÜV and Dekra show that the batteries are safe and are not prone to explosions like lithium batteries.

A team of scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has come up with a possible answer to the question of how to make lithium-ion battery anodes out of silicon, as these tend to swell and crack, as well as react with the battery electrolyte to form a coating that harms their performance.

The scientists wrapped each silicon anode particle in a custom-fit "cage" made of graphene, in a simple, three-step method for building microscopic graphene cages of just the right size: roomy enough to let the silicon particle expand as the battery charges, yet tight enough to hold all the pieces together when the particle falls apart, so it can continue to function at high capacity. The strong, flexible cages also block destructive chemical reactions with the electrolyte.

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a revolutionary graphene-enhanced polyethylene film that prevents a lithium-ion battery from overheating, then restarts the battery when it cools. This new technology could prevent fires and melt-downs in a wide range of battery-powered devices.

The researchers in this study recently invented a wearable sensor to monitor human body temperature, made of a plastic material embedded with tiny particles of nickel with nanoscale spikes protruding from their surface. For the battery experiment, they coated the spiky nickel particles with graphene and embedded the particles in a thin film of elastic polyethylene. They then attached the film to one of the battery electrodes so that an electric current could flow through it. The researchers explain that in order to conduct electricity, the spiky particles have to physically touch one another, but during thermal expansion, polyethylene stretches. That causes the particles to spread apart, making the film non-conductive so that electricity can no longer flow through the battery.

Researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) announced the development of an iron-carbon composite catalyst that can contribute to a reduction in the costs of fuel cells and Li-air batteries. 

The carbon composite catalyst contains iron and nitrogen and uses a graphene nanoplate. It is reportedly better than existing carbon catalysts in terms of durability and performance, and allows mass production at a low cost. The researchers hope that it will be able to contribute to the commercialization of metal-air batteries.

XG Sciences and Boston-Power have announced a joint development agreement, aimed at customizing XG Sciences’ silicon-graphene anode materials for use in Boston-Power’s lithium-ion battery products. 

The plan is to optimize electrochemical and microstructural electrode performance, as well as developing electrode and battery manufacturing techniques using the two companies’ proprietary materials. The companies see a real synergy between Boston-Power’s battery engineering and design capabilities and the new XG-SiG anode materials. Boston-Power has the ability to design and manufacture the battery, while XG Sciences has the ability to customize the anode materials to best fit the Boston-Power system.