Close-up of the instrument used in Dr. Manthiram's lab to evaluate the lithium-ion batteries they make.
UT Researchers find New Process to make Lithium-ion Batteries
Theivanayagam Muraliganth, Arumugam Manthiram and Vadivel Murugan in lab with the battery material they make.
By Joanne Liou, THE DAILY TEXAN
AUSTIN, TEXAS—August 4, 2008
UT researchers have found a more efficient and potentially less expensive way to make lithium-ion batteries, which could be used in hybrid and electric vehicles.
By using a microwave commonly found in scientific labs, mechanical engineering professor Arumugam Manthiram developed a faster process for creating the compound used in the battery.
The batteries contain lithium iron phosphate compounds designed for use in mobile electronic devices, such as the batteries used in hybrid cars.
"Because we are able to synthesize one particular component with the microwave, it may significantly reduce the costs of the battery," Manthiram said. "And these materials and the type of energy it produces is mainly for hybrid electric vehicles."
Together with postdoctoral fellow Vadivel Murugan and graduate student Murali Ganth Theivanayagam, the group used the microwaves to speed up the chemical reaction necessary to create the compound.
"Usually, the microwave is known to speed up reactions," Manthiram said. "We're making [the compound] material within a shorter reaction time at lower temperatures."
While other methods take from five to 24 hours to complete, the microwave can synthesize the material within five minutes, Manthiram said. The faster process allows for the creation of more batteries in a shorter amount of time, creating the potential for them to be less expensive.
High costs, safety concerns and limited energy and power densities made it necessary for researchers to look into alternative methods of development of the lithium-ion batteries, according to Manthiram's Web site.
The group's specialized battery is capable of releasing big spurts of energy, making it suitable for use in hybrid electric cars.
ActaCell, an Austin-based research company, was founded based on the battery technology developed in Manthiram's laboratory. The company focuses on battery technology to provide longer life at a low cost with safety as the No. 1 priority, according to ActaCell's Web site.
In July, ActaCell announced it raised a total of $5.8 million from investors, including Google.org's RechargeIT program. The RechargeIT program aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, minimize oil use and accelerate the adoption of hybrid electric vehicles to stabilize the electrical grid.
Chevrolet's Concept Chevy Volt, which is expected to be on the road by the end of 2010, will be one of the first hybrid vehicles using lithium-ion battery technology.