Prieto Battery also cames price breakthrough and extraordinary power density claims

Prieto battery has been claiming 3D battery construction utilizing Cu2Sb (Copper Antimonide) nanowires.

Prieto Battery was the first startup spun out of Colorado State University’s “Clean Energy Supercluster,” a program aimed at speeding research to the marketplace. Amy Prieto, 36-year-old assistant chemistry professor, has developed a nanotechnology approach to making a battery that may be 1,000 times more powerful and last 10 times longer than existing batteries.

I believe the 1000 times claim relates to a highly dense version of the nanowires which has not been made yet.

Prieto Battery Performance

* High power density
* Rapid charge
o 3 minutes vs. 20 minutes
* Long life
* Smaller package
o 1/2 to 2/3 the size for the same energy density

Battery Manufacturing Process

* Lower cost than traditional methods
o $250 per kWh vs. $600+ per kWh
* Environmentally friendly
o Water-based process
* Highly repeatable
o Electrodeposition is extensively used in the semiconductor industry
* Easily scalable

Prieto’s technique uses an electrochemical process to “grow” copper nanowires — 1,000 of which together are the diameter of a human hair — that make up the anode. The chemistry is controlled by nontoxic citric acid.

The large number of the tiny wires in the battery increases the surface area of the anode, boosting the power.

Another challenge was the electrolyte, which prevents the battery from shorting. In current lithium-ion batteries, this fluid contains toxic chemicals.

Prieto’s team developed a technique that places a nontoxic electrolyte coating on the anode so there is no fluid in the battery. The team also modified the cathode so it can be made with less expensive materials.

PRIETO                           THEORETICAL CURRENT PROTO        EXPECTED       
-------------------------------- ----------   ------------ ----- --------- ------
Anode Interfacial Surface Area      735,000        17,763  2.4%    50,000   6.8%
Anode Particle Surface Area         735,000        17,763  2.4%    50,000   6.8%
Cathode Interfacial Surface Area  1,470,000         4,000  0.3%   500,000  34.0%
Cathode Particle Surface Area         9,000         1,350 15.0%     9,000 100.0%
Electrolyte                       SS Hybrid        LiClO4       SS Hybrid       
Chemistry                            Spinel        LiCoO2          Spinel       
mAh/kg (specific energy cap)         48,100           250  0.5%    45,000  93.6%
mAh/L                               154,700         4,878  3.2%   100,000  64.6%
W/kg  power delivery rate        16,400,000           0.5  0.0% 1,000,000   6.1%
W/L                              52,600,000            10  0.0% 1,000,000   1.9%
Discharge current                                                    50C?       
Charge to 80%                                                           3       
Construction                       3D solid      3D solid        3D solid       

G O A T G U Y

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