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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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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