Sony's New Lithium Ion Batteries Charge Faster, Last Longer

By Contributor Wireless and Mobile News on August 20, 2009 4:33 PM

Sony Corporation has launched a new type of lithium ion secondary battery that combines high-power and long-life performance, using olivine-type lithium iron phosphate as the cathode material. Shipment started in June 2009. These batteries can charge in a little time as 30 minutes which is half the time of Sony's current lithium ion batteries. Where they really excel is that they can be charged many more times. They have super long-life with more than 80% capacity retention after 2,000 charge-discharge cycles.

Some tech types suggest that these batteries could last up to four years, in stead of the one-two life of most batteries used in portable devices today. It has be speculated that these type of batteries will show up in netbooks, smartphones and other portable devices.

This new battery able to charge rapidly, in addition to providing a stable discharge of voltage, it will first be supplied for use in motor driven devices such as power tools, after which its application will be expanded to a wide range of other mobile electronic devices. With lithium ion secondary batteries able to deliver both compact size and high capacity, their usage continues to diversify and grow.

The Olivine-type lithium iron phosphate used in this new battery is extremely suited for use as a cathode material due to its robust crystal structure and stable performance, even at high temperatures. By combining this new cathode material with Sony's proprietary particle design technology that minimizes electrical resistance to deliver high power output, and also leveraging the cell structure design technology Sony accrued developing its current "Fortelion series" lithium ion secondary battery line-up, Sony has realized a high power density of 1800W/kg and extended life span of approximately 2,000 charge-discharge cycles.