The Cause of the Battery Explosion

Batteries that are much more energy-dense than lithium-ion batteries already exist, but are not safe enough to be portable, for example use in solar powered portable generator.

"The more energy you put in the box, the more dangerous it is," says Billy Wu, a lecturer at the Dyson College of Engineering and Design at Imperial College London. "Safety is key, and temperature management is critical. Temperatures in excess of 800 degrees Celsius lead to 'thermal runaway', and the components begin to decompose, leading to an explosion.

Samsung smart phone explosion of the specific reasons is still unknown, the company only revealed that the 'battery problem' lead.

The future of battery technology

In the short term, advances in batteries will rely mainly on lithium-ion technology will continue to push them to the theoretical limit, in order to improve the battery's energy density.

Lithium-ion batteries using lithium-manganese oxide generally have an energy density of 280 watts per kilogram, but the actual energy density of the final product is only 150 watts per kilogram, so there is still much room for improvement.

"The key is to optimize the internal structure of the battery," Billy Wu said, "the battery is a porous material filled with active material structure.

"To achieve greater energy output, it is necessary to increase the pore size of the structure to increase the surface area, allowing more lithium ions to pass through each time, but conversely, if the gap increases, the amount of active material can be reduced, resulting in reduced power.

Companies around the world are researching newer, more advanced battery chemistries such as lithium-sulfur or lithium-silicon cells.

In the more distant future, solid-state batteries may become a reality. In such cells, the liquid electrolyte is replaced by a solid material. This will greatly improve the safety of the battery.

"The main advantage of solid-state batteries is that they can continue to use lithium as an anode material," Wu explained. "Lithium has excellent energy density, but there are potential safety problems associated with the use of the electrolyte." For example, the lifepo4 batteries is stable.

According to Wu Jieshao, the use of zinc, lithium or aluminum as the main material of the metal - air battery is also high hopes, but the battery into commercial applications at least 20 years.

How to extend battery life

Some simple ways to help extend the battery life. Due to the chemical reaction characteristics in the battery, the battery is consumed more in the case where the residual electric power is less than 20%, or when the battery is charged in a state where the capacity is more than 80%.

Therefore, to maintain the lithium-ion battery power at 20% -80% level will help reduce battery loss, long time to maintain the battery's high power capacity. The same as lifepo4 battery pack when use it in solar power system. Intelligent power management systems under development are based on this principle.

Never let the phone remain in the long-term charge state, especially for laptops. Regular charging, discharge will help the battery to maintain a better working condition. Charge and discharge once a month can effectively extend the battery life.

How to Make the Battery More Secure and Durable?

Battery to promote the modern life, from smart phones to electric cars, many technology devices are inseparable from the battery, like our solar powered portable generator. But the battery is how to store electricity? Why do they always take long? In a number of Samsung cell phone battery explosion, people are faced with a new problem: why the battery explosion? How to make the battery more durable? safer?

It's no exaggeration to say that battery life is an "explosive" problem, and Samsung has discovered this sad fact through painful lessons. Samsung GalaxyNote7 phone just listed because the battery life far more than its competitors and much praise. Unfortunately, good times do not last long. The global GalaxyNote7 battery explosion occurred in succession. Samsung was forced to recall the failed model and launched a replacement program, but the replacement of the new phone also began to explode, forcing Samsung to stop production.

This event is just a roadblock to the latest encounter on the long road to improving the performance of electronic devices batteries. Processor performance is rapidly increasing, doubling every 18 months, but the battery capacity with nearly 10 years to achieve the same progress. This huge gap began to lead to problems, Samsung's lessons once again that this is a difficult technical challenges to overcome.

Smartphone batteries are usually not enough to support a day of use, the laptop can only be used continuously for a few hours, electric cars are fully charged after the mileage is difficult to break 350 miles (about 563 km). So, why is the battery capacity is still such a thorny problem, when we can overcome it?

The structure and principle of the battery

A battery is like a small container of chemical energy. When a smartphone is plugged into a power source, the current causes a chemical reaction in the cell, causing electrons to flow from the negative to the positive.

When the charge is complete, the battery pushes the electrons through the circuit (in this case, the smartphone) to the negative side until all the electrons in the battery return to the negative or until the built-in switch turns off the power.

A typical cell typically contains a negative, positive, and electrolyte - a medium through which positive ions circulate.

Lithium-ion batteries used in most smart phones and electronic devices contain a metal oxide cathode made of a mixture of cobalt, nickel, manganese or iron, a porous graphite anode containing lithium ions inside, and lithium salt electrolytes. The batteries could be used in portable solar power generator.

The positively charged lithium ions flow from the negative electrode through the electrolyte to the positive electrode, driving the electrons through the smart phone and back to the negative electrode.

Why the battery is not durable

The principle of the battery may be very simple, but the technology is very complex. The biggest limitation of batteries is their energy density.

How much energy a cell can produce depends on how much of its chemical components store energy. The inactive material inside the battery is a burden, including the housing, the control chip, and the cables that deliver the current - they can only add weight and not increase energy.

Typical smart phone lithium-ion battery energy density of about 150 watt hour / kg (Wh / kg). Since 1990, since the birth of lithium-ion battery energy density has been improved, but still subject to structural and chemical constraints. The lithium-ion batteries include lifepo4 batteries, it could be used in portable solar power generator.

Relying on existing technology, the only way to quickly increase smart battery life is to increase the energy efficiency of smartphone electronics or to increase the size of the battery, while slimmer smartphones require slimmer batteries.

Battery life is not constant over the life of a smartphone, and as time goes on and the battery is repeatedly charged and discharged, battery life becomes shorter and shorter.

This is because the chemical reaction that produces the current causes a thin layer of lithium to deposit on the electrode, resulting in a reduction in the amount of lithium ions that can be used to generate the current and to increase the internal resistance of the battery.

The higher the resistance, the more difficult it is for the battery to maintain an effective voltage, thus reducing the power output after each charge. You may remember the relevant formula learned in secondary school:

Voltage = Current x Resistance (V = IR)

Graphene can "endure" ozone for ten minutes

Russian, French, Swedish and Greek scientists have worked together to develop an industrial technology to clean graphene, a new method to make graphene more stable, even in contact with ozone for 10 minutes is also "unharmed." The researchers said that the results of nanotechnology in the field of electronic technology is an important step forward, will vigorously promote the development of the field. 

Graphene is a material that is 100 million times thinner than the hair. It is composed of single-layer carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure. It has high conductivity, durability and ductility, and can be used to manufacture a variety of nanoelectronic devices .

In the production process, the polymer coating residue will "contaminate" the graphene, reduces its internal load carrier fluidity. Thermal annealing, plasma de-gelling, and chemical solvents can remove polymer residues, but at the same time impair the purity of graphene. One of the most commonly used methods of purification is the use of ozone, which, while highly reactive, can cause defects in the graphene while destroying the polymer residue, resulting in a weakening of the performance. Now it's not stable, so we are using lifepo4 batteries or other type, it can be used in solar powered portable generator.

In view of this, scientists at the Moscow Institute of Engineering Physics (MEPhI) of the Russian National Nuclear Energy Research Institute have succeeded in obtaining highly stable graphene using high-temperature silicon carbide (SiC) sublimation, which has been exposed to ozone for more than 10 minutes While the normal graphene in the same environment, three to four minutes will be impaired performance.

To further verify the test results, scientists in Greece, France and Sweden, through computer modeling to clarify why the silicon carbide - graphene in the violent oxygen free radicals can still be "unscathed" and more stable: the new graphene Unusual stability is clearly related to the low roughness of the epitaxial graphene on the silicon carbide substrate.

The latest discovery helps to better purify graphene, resulting in high-quality industrial graphene with stable electrical properties.

Faraday and LG Signed 2.4 Billion Battery Orders

According to foreign media Electrek reported that Faraday future company (Faraday Future) and South Korea's LG Chemical signed a battery supply agreement for electric vehicles. The deal was valued at $ 2.24 billion. If the value per kilowatt-hour battery 145 US dollars, the order can meet the battery needs of hundreds of thousands of cars. Our lifepo4 battery pack is composed of battery.

The plan has been a mystery since Faraday's announcement of electric car production a year ago. The company's leadership problem has been confusing, until recently it was reported that China's LeSee company and its founder Jia Yue-ting to establish a relationship.

According to the Herald Herald, it is puzzling that Faraday's next big battery contract is for the LeSee supercar. From the size of the document, if the battery is not all for the LeSee syper car in China, the company will achieve greater production targets. The battery also could be used in solar powered portable generator.

Earlier this year, Faraday in the United States Nevada future to spend one billion US dollars (about 6.67 billion yuan) of the factory groundbreaking. Its first production models of spy photos also repeatedly exposed, from the appearance point of view is a cross-border car.

China donates photovoltaic lighting equipment to Equatorial Guinea

The Chinese Embassy donated photovoltaic lighting equipment to the Chiyu Youth Foundation in Equatorial Guinea on the 29th. Ambassador Zhao Hongsheng and Chiyu Youth Foundation, the representative of the Chinese Embassy in Chekiang, attended the donation ceremony.

The Chinese embassy donated a total of 150 sets of photovoltaic lighting equipment. The Chiyu Youth Foundation will make available all equipment to the inhabitants of the town of Etonisonne, Velientz.

Dolores expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Chinese Embassy at the ceremony. She said that the rural residents of Guinea will be used to China's green lighting, which is conducive to the sustainable development model in the rural areas of the promotion and popularization. Use green energy, use solar powered portable generator.

It is understood that this will be the first batch of photovoltaic lighting equipment into the red population of several families. Ambassador Zhao Hongsheng said: China and Chekki are good friends and good brothers. China sincerely hopes that the people of Chekiang will live a better life. These lighting equipment will allow pollution-free, sustainable light illuminate the lives of the people of red several people, so that they actually feel friendly of Guinea.

Do you know Fisker solar cars

September 8, China Wanxiang Group's US Karma car's first extended-range hybrid car Revero in Southern California LagunaBeach officially unveiled to the world.

Karma is a car brand established by Wanxiang Group following the acquisition of Fisker. Fisker Motors was founded in 2007, when the goal is to create environmentally friendly high-end models to Maserati, Aston Martin to compete. But Fisker due to financial disruption in 2013 announced the closure. In 2014, Universal to the price of $ 149.2 million acquisition of US electric car maker Fisker, and in September 30, 2015 changed its name to Karma.

The Revero debut, which means that this year and Tesla Fisker par with the delays in delivery, recall, bankruptcy, auctions and other twists and turns in the Chinese capital to help return to the automotive market, the global participation of new energy vehicles And competitors.

After nearly two years of research and development, hybrid car Revero became Karma's first listed models. Revero's appearance, but also help its parent company universal from a Chinese auto parts supplier turned into a vehicle and parts manufacturing enterprises.

According to official information, Revero price of 130,000 US dollars, positioning closer to Tesla's first roadster Roadster. This is the first US sales of electric power, gasoline and solar power source of the three cars. Solar power is an important part for solar powered portable generator. Karma is currently in California, the factory is ready to begin small batch production, before the end of mass production for the United States and Canada.

Revero in the appearance of the continuation of the Fisker era most of the design, but added the Revero logo. Revero powertrain in advance to continue to use the motor + universal 2.0T four-cylinder engine, BMW will use the late new energy powertrain. In pure electric mode, this new car's life up to 80 km, plus gasoline generators provide additional mileage, the total mileage of up to 480 km. In sports mode, 100 km acceleration is 5.4 seconds.

Revero in the car using a large screen in the control and full LCD instrumentation, will support Apple CarPlay and Google AndroidAuto, car infotainment system and firmware can be upgraded through the OTA, the system supports 4G networks, navigation support real-time traffic.

Fisker has been sought after by many stars

According to the universal plan, in 2018 will launch a new platform, the platform will be the first in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, China began production, and the introduction of pure electric version and extended version of Revero, as well as pure electric version and extended version of Atalantic.

2019 Karma will also launch a SationWagon station wagon, a medium-sized SUV, a small SUV and a convertible, and then start the construction of Mexico.

According to KarmaCEOTomCorcoran said, Karma team of about 400 people, the end of this year will reach 700 people.

At present, Wanxiang Karma has signed 10 auto dealerships in the US and Canada, all of which have experience in luxury car sales. In addition, the universal Karma follow the practice of Tesla, set up in the United States to establish a number of Direct 'experience center', the first will soon open in Los Angeles.

India's PV module import prices plummeted to 36 cents / watt

Bridgeto India's analysis found that the average cost of solar PV modules imported to India fell by nearly 15% over the past three months, it’s also an important part of solar powered portable generator. and the current price is only $ 0.36 per watt peak, triggering serious concerns from local manufacturers.

The sharp drop in prices was mainly due to oversupply in the Chinese market, prompting component manufacturers to turn to neighboring countries. Analysts believe that this may lead to oversupply in the coming months, and then to the component manufacturers to bring "serious financial pressure."

For project developers operating in India, the current price is a "depression" because they can profit from it. But the local component manufacturers will face increased competition and price pressures of the dual pressures.

Polysilicon prices have dropped by 30%, wafers in a month also fell by about 20%. Since September component manufacturing capacity will exceed 100 GW, and this year's global demand is expected to not exceed 70 MW, the price decline is likely to continue.

Early September, Mercom Capital reported that imports from China to India, the average price of 

solar modules for the world's lowest 0.39 US dollars / watt. Bridgeto India's report confirms this 

general downward trend. 

Italy Eni S.P.A develops 10MW solar power station in Algeria

Italian oil and gas giant Eni Group (ENI) and the Algerian government-supported Sonatrach companies to develop solar photovoltaic power generation projects.

Eni Group since 1981 has been committed to the development of energy projects in Algeria, the North African countries have invested more than 11.5 billion US dollars to develop oil and gas projects.

Eni Group's investment in Algeria accounted for 26% of all foreign direct investment in the country, a large investment in fossil fuel power generation project development.

Eni will work with government-backed energy company Sonatrach. Solar plant production is expected to begin in late 2016, based on the agreement between Eni Group and Sonatrach to develop renewable energy projects in Algeria. The solar powered portable generator is a part of renewable energy.

According to Claudio Descalzi, chief executive of Eni Group, Eni is eager to realize the integration of traditional business with traditional renewable energy, which can be seen as a pivot for energy structure transformation.

In the early 1970s, Eni was the first foreign company to sign an agreement with Algeria to build a Transmed gas project. In 1987, it was the first oil and gas company to sign an upstream contract with Algeria and a strategic cooperation agreement with the Algerian solar industry Of the first oil and gas companies.

The company will set up by 2030 13.5GW solar installed target in 2015, Algeria added about 260MW solar energy projects.