Small particles releasing greater energy
The NANOBATT project sought to establish a new battery that would prove itself both from a performance and from a manufacturing perspective. The development of a suitable battery to run electric vehicles would require the production of new techniques, new materials and new synthetic routes for novel Li batteries. One of the considerable problems to address as far as Li-ion batteries are concerned is how to increase battery power density considerably, without sacrificing the recharge ability. Additionally, such a battery would have to be based on low-cost manufacturing techniques while offering an attractive solution for the electric-vehicular industry. The NANOBATT project understood that in order to develop a high-powered density battery, the surface area of the electrodes would need to be increased. The production of such is feasible, with the use of an active mass comprised of nanoparticles. Interestingly enough, Li battery material is usually produced in high-temperature synthesis that warrants an expensive price tag. By switching from thermal to ultrasonic synthesis however, the Li- battery material should become significantly cheaper to produce. Sonochemistry is a successful synthetic tool used in the production of nanonic phases of transition metal oxides. Therefore, the project turned to production techniques using sonochemistry, as well as investigated other less expensive methods such as mechanosynthesis and melt spinning. Currently, a successful high-energy ball-milling device has been developed for the mechanosynthesis of anode and cathode materials. Laboratory experimentation found that this Simoloyer mill was able to effectively modify the FeAlSiB based anode material, reducing the particle size whilst retaining the essential amorphous structure. Additionally, the mechanosynthesis from ferrous and lithium phosphate to Lithium iron sulphates was enormously successful. Herein, laser measurement of particle size revealed particle sizes ranged between 1.5 to 9µm. In doing so, a more suitable battery is developed whereby a larger electrode surface area is attained thus providing an increase in battery effectiveness and power. The developers require collaboration for further research and development, while the results of their demonstration trials remain available.
