From: Robert George (george_at_holmes.cs.nps.navy.mil)
Date: Mon Mar 06 1995 - 23:24:45 EST
Randy, Josh,
> The good news is that perhaps farther into the future there is
> a truly *fascinating* battery technology coming available (no, I'm not
> talking about Zinc-Air). Tentatively, they were calling it
> "Lithium-Polymer".
Both the American ventures I read about (ATT, and "American Battery Company"?)
were using variations of the Lithium Polymer. From the article I read, (I'm
trying to remember where) the big issues are safety. The cathode in the Sony
battery is a sheet of Lithium, so if the battery is cracked, the Lithium is
exposed to water vapor in the air and you get an explosion. The Lithium
Polymer battery is a solid sheet of cathode/electrolyte/anode polymer, so
there's virtually no safety hazard, but its exceptionally difficult to get the
electrons to flow through the polymer. Both companies seem pretty close
though...
>What about the lead acid batteries that IBM first used in the original
>Thinkpad 500 models?
Again, I think these were pulled for safety reasons. When lead-acid batteries
leak, you get hydrogen gas...
> The good news is that perhaps farther into the future there is
> a truly *fascinating* battery technology coming available
I truly hope so, everything else in this industry practically doubles in
performance every six months, while the battery companies for years sold
nothing but Nickel Cadmium.
Robert
--| Robert George | Army Research Laboratory | | robertg_at_assb01.arl.mil | AMSRL-SS-IC | | Voice: (408) 656-3316 | 2800 Powder Mill Road | | Fax: (408) 656-2814 | Adelphi, MD 20783-1197 |
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. --Ecclesiastes 1:18
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