Technology News

The need to regularly recharge batteries in mobile phones, laptops and other portable terminals may be eliminated in the future, according to the latest developments by STMicroelectronics (ST). ST, which has long been one of the major suppliers of the silicon chips used in mobile phones, has reported progress by one of its advanced R&D teams in developing tiny fuel cells, small enough to fit inside a mobile handset, that could generate all the electrical energy needed to power the phone from cheap and easily available organic fuels.A fuel cell is a device that generates energy using electrochemical reactions instead of fuel combustion. In recent years, there has been enormous interest in fuel cells because they promise to deliver cheap, clean energy. Although much of the work in the emerging field of fuel cell technology has been aimed at automotive applications, ST researchers also have been investigating the replacement of the rechargeable asus laptop battery used in mobile phones by tiny fuel cells that can be refilled with fuel whenever needed, just like refillable cigarette lighters.

“Using fuel cells instead of batteries would make mobile phones lighter and much more convenient to use as they could be simply topped up with fuel whenever necessary. In addition, there would be significant environmental benefits as the fuel can be derived from sustainable organic sources, while the byproducts are mainly water and a much lower level of carbon dioxide than is produced by burning fossil fuels,” says Dr. Salvo Coffa, who leads the corporate technology R&D team that is researching the micro fuel cell technology.(asus a32-s5 battery,asus a32-s6 battery)

Tracking back: http://www.batteriesshop.co.uk/batteries/2009/07/20/maybe-micro-fuel-cells-will-replace-batteries-in-mobile-phones-in-future/

ScienceDaily (July 5, 2009) — For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process.

In the past, it was necessary to race to the bank for every money transfer and every bank statement. Today, bank transactions can be easily carried out at home. Now where is that piece of paper again with the TAN numbers? In the future you can spare yourself the search for the number. Simply touch your EC card and a small integrated display shows the TAN number to be used. Just type in the number and off you go. This is made possible by a printable battery that can be produced cost-effectively on a large scale.

It was developed by a research team led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Baumann of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz together with colleagues from TU Chemnitz and Menippos GmbH. “Our goal is to be able to mass produce the apple laptop battery at a price of single digit cent range each,” states Dr. Andreas Willert, group manager at ENAS. 

The characteristics of the battery differ significantly from those of conventional apple a1175 battery. The printable version weighs less than one gram on the scales, is not even one millimeter thick and can therefore be integrated into bank cards, for example. The battery contains no mercury and is in this respect environmentally friendly. Its voltage is 1.5 V, which lies within the normal range. By placing several batteries in a row, voltages of 3 V, 4.5 V and 6 V can also be achieved. The new type of battery is composed of different layers: a zinc anode and a manganese cathode, among others. Zinc and manganese react with one another and produce electricity. However, the anode and the cathode layer dissipate gradually during this chemical process. Therefore, the battery is suitable for applications which have a limited life span or a limited power requirement, for instance greeting cards.

The apple a1185 battery is printed using a silk-screen printing method similar to that used for t-shirts and signs. A kind of rubber lip presses the printing paste through a screen onto the substrate. A template covers the areas that are not to be printed on. Through this process it is possible to apply comparatively large quantities of printing paste, and the individual layers are slightly thicker than a hair. The researchers have already produced the batteries on a laboratory scale. At the end of this year, the first products could possibly be finished.

Tracking back: http://www.batteriesshop.co.uk/batteries/2009/07/22/inexpensive-thin-printable-batteries-have-been-developed/