Building better batteries

“We need technology that allows this country’s manufacturers to produce better hybrid and electric vehicles to keep up with overseas markets,” explained Dr. Xiangwu Zhang, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.

The U.S. Department of Energy agreed, recently awarding Dr. Zhang and colleagues at NC State’s Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center more than $1 million in grant money to continue researching ways to improve the batteries that help power plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Fellow researchers on the project include Drs. Alex Huang, the FREEDM Systems Center director, Peter S. Fedkiw and Saad A. Khan, all of the College of Engineering at NC State.

Current batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles are large, expensive and not entirely practical for those looking for high-power vehicles, or for people driving them on longer trips. Zhang and his team are using a technique called electrospinning to combine lithium alloy and carbon into new composite nanofiber anodes, which have the ability to produce more energy while costing less and tolerating abuse better than existing batteries. The batteries are also lighter, producing more power in a smaller package - ideal for use in vehicles.

Nanofiber anodes can be easily produced in large numbers, which could help reduce the demand for imported petroleum, decrease emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and enable the U.S. transportation industry to sustain a strong position in the global marketplace. “This goes beyond just building a better battery,” Zhang said. “We’re talking about industrial innovation that will change the way of life for future generations.”

Sharing Zhang’s vision is a team of four NC State graduate students who developed a business plan for Zhang’s research through the Jenkins MBA program’s Technology Entrepreneurship Commercialization (TEC) program in the College of Management. Their business plan is currently being put into action through the formation of a start-up company, Tec-Cel.

Source : physorg.com, by Caroline Barnhill, July 21st, 2009