Graphene batteries: Introduction and Market News - Page 51

Grafoid have signed a two-year R&D agreement with the University of Waterloo to investigate and develop a graphene-based composite for fuel cells and super-capacitors for the automotive and/or portable electronics sectors. The new material can be used to make electrodes, nanocatalyst support, electrolyte membranes and bipolar plates, transparent electrodes and other potential applications.

Grafoid also says that they expect to announce several additional development projects in 2013. Grafoid is a private company based in Canada that produces graphene on a commercial scale using their proprietary extraction process. Grafoid is partly (40%) owned by Focus Metals.

XG Sciences launched a new graphene-based anode materials for Li-Ion batteries that has four times the capacity of conventional anodes. The new anode materials use the XG's xGnP graphene nanoplatelets to stabilize silicon particles in a nano-engineered composite structure and are made using the company's proprietary manufacturing processes. The new material is available today at commercial scale with an "attractive pricing".

XGS has demonstrated capacity of 1500 mAh/g with low irreversible capacity loss and stable cycling performance in life tests. They expect initial adoption in the consumer electronics markets - by Asian battery makers. But XGS also works with R&D partners that are focused on hybrid and electric vehicles, grid storage, military, and specialty industrial applications.

Bluestone Global Tech (BGT) was founded in 2011 in New York with an aim to produce graphene. The company offers high-quality, fully customizable graphene on several substrates (Quartz, Copper, Silicon and others). BGT's CEO, Dr. Chung Ping Lai, was kind enough to answer a few questions we had about the company's business and technology.

Dr. Lai became BGT's CEO in November 2012. Previously he worked with Taiwan's ITRI institute, Veeco, Applied films and other companies. Dr. Lai received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Ceramics Science and Engineering of Rutgers University in 1992. 

Scientists from Rice University developed new ribbons made from vanadium-oxide and graphene-oxide (using a simple hydrothermal process) that make for superior Li-Ion battery cathodes. Batteries that use these new cathodes exhibit high energy and power densities. The new cathodes use materials that are relatively abundant and cheap.

The researchers found out that prototype cathodes used with halfcells can charge and discharge in 20 seconds and retain more than 90% of the capacity after more than 1,000 cycles. Those prototype cathodes were made from 84% VO2 (that hold 204 milliamp hours of energy per gram).

mPhase Technologies is looking to license graphene technology, with an aim to integrate graphene into its its Smart NanoBattery Technology. The company says it is in talks with two universities who are "leaders in R&D of applications utilizing graphene".

Back in July 2012 mPhase started to collaborate with the Stevens Institute of Technology on the design and fabrication of a new battery technology that combines mPhase's Smart NanoBattery Technology with Stevens' graphene-based inkjet printing method for printing electrodes and electronic circuits.

Vorbeck Materials and Batelle (who operates the DoE's PNNL laboratory) signed a commercial license agreement that will Vorbeck to commercialize lithium batteries incorporating Vor-x graphene technology. Those new batteries will charge faster than current Li-Ion batteries. The research effort of PNNL and Vorbeck may also lead to more stable batteries that have a higher energy density and a longer life.

PNNL, together with Princeton University developed a "substantial" graphene-based battery technologies portfolio. This, combined with Vorbeck's own graphene technologies (in conductive inks, printed electronics, composite materials, and energy storage. PNNL's technology uses tiny titanium oxide and carbon structures. Using small quantities of Vor-x graphene can "dramatically improve the performance of the batteries". In fact, Electrodes containing graphene charged and recharged three times as fast as standard titanium dioxide electrodes.

California Lithium Battery (CalBattery) have signed a licensing agreement with the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. Argonne developed a silicon-graphene composite anode material (called GEN3) for high-energy lithium batteries, and CalBattery plans to commercialize this technology rapidly. Tests show that the new anode triples the energy capacity of the state-of-the-art graphite anode.

CalBattery and Argonne has been working together for over a year under a Work for Others agreement to develop this technology. Back in October 2012 CalBattery said that in independent full cell tests, the material shows unrivaled performance characteristics: an energy density of 525WH/Kg and specific anode capacity 1,250mAh/g. Just to compare, most commercial LIBs have an energy density of between 100-180WH/kg and a specific anode capacity of 325mAh/g.

Cabot Corporation launched the LITX G700, the company's first graphene-based additive for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. They say that this additive will allow L-Ion battery makers to achieve superior cell performance.

Cabot explains that the LITX G700 conductive additive is designed for use in electric vehicle and high-end consumer electronics in which better driving range and longer run times are critical performance features. This new additive is designed to deliver the conductivity needed to achieve very high energy densities in lithium-ion batteries at ultra-low loadings in comparison to conventional additives. Less loading or volume allocated to conductive additives enables more volume to be available for energy storage materials. As a result, the LITX G700 graphene-based additive delivers step change performance in conductivity at ultra-low loadings and is easily incorporated into battery electrodes.

New research done by Nokia shows that mechanically flexible all-solid state batteries can be made from monolayer graphene (provided by Graphenea and grown by CVD directly onto copper foil). The total thickness of the resulting battery was about 50 micrometer. The complete structure is a cathode graphene (on copper foil), polymer electrolyte, and anode lithium foil

The researchers report that the ultrathin battery showed the highest energy density of 10 W h L^-1 and the highest power density of 300 W L^-1. It also shows excellent cyclic stability and sustains a discharge current density of 100 microA cm^-2 over 100 cycles, maintaining energy capacity over 0.02 mA h cm^-2.

Bluestone Global Tech released two short videos introducing Graphene. The first focuses on the different graphene properties (strength, flexibility, conductivity, etc):

The second video is all about the different graphene applications, such as displays, LEDs, touch screens, batteries, solar cells and conductive wires