Nikkei Electronics Asia -- September 2009
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NEDO Project Aims to Develop Post-Li-Ion Storage Battery

The New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan has selected a consortium of 22 organizations, centered on Kyoto University, as its partner for collaborative research into the "Fundamental Scientific Research Project on Advanced Storage Batteries" project starting in fiscal 2009. The goal is to develop a rechargeable battery with an energy density at least three times that possible with current technology, with a target commercialization date of 2030 at the latest. The project will last seven years, with a total investment of Yen21 billion. 

Starting in 2008, nations such as the US and Germany have established targets of one million electric vehicles (EV) in the near future, and massive funding from national budgets is being poured into battery development (Fig 1). Emerging economies are involved, too, with China announcing a national research effort, and automobile manufacturers like BYD Auto of China announcing proprietary plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEV). "The battery development environment has changed dramatically," says NEDO, and the development of vehicular rechargeable batteries is now a matter of competition between nations.

Recognizing this situation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI) of Japan announced on Sept 25, 2008, that "Basic scientific research is needed to discover new storage battery technologies, based on new ideas and new materials, and surpassing mere improvement of existing technologies." In response, the new project is, according to NEDO, a group development effort involving automobile manufacturers, battery manufacturers, materials manufacturers, universities, research institutions and more.

Post-Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries

The project is aiming to develop a rechargeable battery with three times the energy density of existing designs by fiscal 2013, when the project ends. This target is positioned as a milestone in the development of a rechargeable battery with five times the current energy density, by 2030. Because the required energy density varies with the specific application, no concrete numeric targets were set. 

Simply tripling the performance of existing vehicular rechargeable batteries would mean 250Wh/kg to 300Wh/kg. An expert in the field explained that these numbers are pretty close to the limits of what might be possible by just extending current technology, such as by improving materials. As a result, the project will include not only improvement of existing technologies, but also the development of entirely new technologies to achieve performance beyond what Li-ion rechargeable batteries can provide (Fig 2).

Cooperation-Competition Combined

The research and development (R&D) stance is innovative. First NEDO accepted proposals for the establishment of a research center where industry, academia and government could work together, eventually selecting a consortium centered on Kyoto University (Fig 3). Participants will engage in research in four groups: high-level analytical technology, battery reaction analysis, material innovation, and innovative batteries. 

The project is designed to effectively combine cooperation and competition, says NEDO. It will have access to experimental systems such as the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility and the J-PARC photon accelerator, which cost massive amounts of money to use, and will probe issues including high-level battery analysis, analytical technology, and the principles and mechanisms of fundamental battery reactions. These will be cooperative research fields.

The competition will be in the development of rechargeable batteries utilizing the research results via new materials, new principles of operation, etc. When the project ends in seven years, says NEDO, "We want to at least have developed button cells that can be charged and discharged to confirm operation."

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