Global battery manufacturer Ultralife Corporation is set to enrich the U1 lead acid battery market with the launch of its new 492Wh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) smart battery. The URB12400-U1-SMB battery, which features accurate fuel gauging and integrated safety circuitry, is designed to replace and improve on traditional sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries in applications […]
Battery
New anode material brings sodium-ion batteries closer to mainstream use
Sodium ion batteries have been viewed as promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries for large-scale energy storage. But one of their problems has been a rapid degradation after a few charge/recharge cycles. One reason is that sodium ions (1.02 Å) are nearly twice as large as lithium ions (0.59 Å). The large size causes big […]
How to Protect Li-ion Battery Packs
by Ryan Roderick, Intersil Corporation Today’s Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are seeing increasing use in a wide range of applications, including electric scooters, portable power tools, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. And designing protection circuitry to safeguard them has never been more important. The power FET is an essential safety function in a battery management system […]
Novel idea for ingestible batteries: Use stomach acid as the electrolyte
A group of researchers have come up with an idea for an energy-harvesting battery that uses body fluids for part of its chemistry. In tests, device delivered an average power of 0.23 μW/mm2 of electrode area for an average of 6.1 days while sitting in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs. They say this power-harvesting cell could […]
Fail videos of the week:
When batteries catch on fire
What energy stored at a high-density gets released quickly, interesting visual effects can happen. Here are a few examples. Here’s what happens when a battery meets a hydraulic press. …and here’s what happens when batteries meet a heavy duty metal shredder. Ever wonder what happens if you pour liquid nitrogen on a battery? You can […]
Larson Electronics Releases a Series of Portable Solar Power Battery Packs
Larson Electronics has released a new series of portable battery packs powered with lithium-ion batteries that offer multiple charging capabilities. These battery packs are powered by lithium ion batteries with a Samsung ICR18650-3.7V-2600mAh cell. These units are designed for off-grid use in remote locations with solar panel compatibility (Escape 30, Boulder 15, Nomad 27, and […]
Nano-porous films could bring more energy dense Li-ion batteries
A company in Finland that makes thin-film coating equipment says it is developing lithium-ion battery technology based on Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) as a way of improving battery energy and power density while reducing charge times and boosting safety. Picodeon, based in Ii, Finland says it will work with Oulu University in Finland to deliver […]
Encapsulated 80-W ac-dc modules come in ultra-compact footprint
XP Power announced the ECE80 series of 80W single output AC-DC encapsulated power supply modules with high efficiency and a low no load input power. The modules are perfect for customers requiring an encapsulated AC-DC power solution in an ultra-compact format for either PCB, chassis, or DIN rail mounting. The ECE80 series has the smallest […]
Rechargeable pin-type and flexible lithium ion batteries a form fit for wearables
Panasonic Corporation will showcase its rechargeable Pin-type Lithium-ion battery (CG-320A, CG-425 and CG-435) as well as its Flexible Lithium-ion battery (CG-062939, CG-063555, and CG-064065) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) January 5-8th, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Panasonic Corporation will exhibit these two products in Panasonic booth #12908 in the Central Hall of the Las […]
When to use supercapacitors
in battery applications
Author: Rutronik Electronics staff As supercapacitors, or electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), become more and more widely used, they are increasingly looked at as replacements for batteries. However, in many cases a 1:1 exchange is impractical or even impossible. Nevertheless, supercaps have their place. Batteries and supercaps are based on completely different energy storage methods. Looking […]