2009 R&D 100 Winner
The PowerPlane UX, developed by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of Golden, Colo., and Planar Energy Devices, Orlando, Fla., combines a solid-state lithium battery with a buried-anode architecture—invented at the NREL—to form an intrinsically safe, rechargeable microbattery with an extremely long lifetime, even if it is frequently charged and discharged. When combined with an energy harvesting system, the PowerPlane UX should become a key enabling technology for wireless remote sensing networks. The PowerPlane UX employs a solid glass electrolyte—lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON)—to give the battery a longer cycle life with a minimal loss in capacity. The solid electrolyte is more tolerant of high temperatures than liquid electrolytes are, allowing operation at temperatures as high as 150°C and transients of a few seconds to 300°C. This high-temperature capability is particularly important in industrial and vehicular applications. NREL developed the buried-anode architecture to avoid the need for encapsulants. The buried-anode architecture involves depositing the battery in reverse order in its discharged state, with the lithium intercalated, or chemically trapped, within the cathode layer.
Technology
Lithium battery
Developers
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Planar Energy Devices
