Former Alphavillain, now the FT's man in Tokyo partnering with the commodities maven Harry Dempsey in London, June 16/17:
Smartphone battery leader says new material will boost energy storage for smaller gadgets first
Japan’s TDK is claiming a breakthrough in materials used in its small solid-state batteries, with the Apple supplier predicting significant performance increases for devices from wireless headphones to smartwatches.
The new material provides an energy density — the amount that can be squeezed into a given space — of 1,000 watt-hours per litre, which is about 100 times greater than TDK’s current battery in mass production. Since TDK introduced it in 2020, competitors have moved forward, developing small solid-state batteries that offer 50 Wh/l, while rechargeable coin batteries using traditional liquid electrolytes offer about 400 Wh/l, according to the group.
“We believe that our newly developed material for solid-state batteries can make a significant contribution to the energy transformation of society. We will continue the development towards early commercialisation,” said TDK’s chief executive Noboru Saito.
The batteries set to be produced will be made of an all-ceramic material, with oxide-based solid electrolyte and lithium alloy anodes. The high capability of the battery to store electrical charge, TDK said, would allow for smaller device sizes and longer operating times, while the oxide offered a high degree of stability and thus safety. The battery technology is designed to be used in smaller-sized cells, replacing existing coin-shaped batteries found in watches and other small electronics....
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For more on why this is a big step forward, though not yet a battery Holy Grail, see 2022's Vaclav Smil: "Waiting for Superbatteries They are still a long way from matching the energy density of liquid fuel".
