Page 22 - Lindens Handbook of Batteries
P. 22

PREFACE










                                The first decade of the twenty-first century has seen a quantum leap in terms of the economic and
                                technological significance of the battery industry to society worldwide. This has resulted in a com-
                                plete revision of Linden’s Handbook of Batteries for the Fourth Edition to include new information
                                on emerging battery systems and their applications. Many new chapters have been added and others
                                consolidated to improve access to information on related technologies and applications. Information
                                on Fuel Cells has been updated, and a new chapter on Electrochemical Capacitors, which are of
                                importance in hybrid power systems, is included. A new chapter has also been included on Battery
                                Modeling, an area of increasing importance in battery technology. A chapter on Battery Electrolytes
                                is also a new feature to summarize and augment the information presented in individual chapters on
                                particular battery systems.
                                   In the primary battery field, the emergence of applications needing high power, such as digital
                                cameras, has resulted in the development of alkaline manganese designs meeting this requirement.
                                The Oxyride battery has also been designed to meet these requirements by using a cathode combin-
                                ing manganese dioxide and nickel oxyhydroxide. The lithium/iron disulfide battery, with its capac-
                                ity enhanced in the last decade, has emerged as the leading lithium primary battery for high-power
                                applications, displacing lithium/manganese dioxide in some cases.
                                   The explosion of the consumer electronics market for applications such as laptop computers,
                                smart phones, and e-books has been fueled by improvements in the energy density and specific
                                energy of lithium-ion batteries. Typical commercial 18650 cells now provide a capacity of 2.55 Ah,
                                an energy density of 570 Wh/L, and a specific energy of 200 Wh/kg, using the lithium cobalt oxide/
                                graphite chemistry. Such cells are being produced at the rate of 250 million/month and cost as little
                                as $0.20/Wh. Advanced 18650 Li-ion cells provide 640 Wh/L and 240 Wh/kg, while the use of alloy
                                anodes in place of graphitic carbons promises further improvements in performance. These advanc-
                                es are detailed in a completely updated and greatly expanded Chap. 26 on Lithium-ion Batteries. A
                                new Chap. 32 on Battery Selection for Consumer Electronics has been added to detail the process
                                by which electronics manufacturers select battery systems for use in their products.
                                   The enhancements detailed above have also resulted in new propulsion systems for hybrid vehi-
                                cles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicles (EVs). Since the late 1990s,
                                nickel-metal hydride batteries have been the system of choice for HEVs and have performed well in
                                that application. With enhanced power capability, Li-ion batteries are providing a challenge to NiMH
                                for use in HEVs. Lithium-ion has already been selected for use in the Chevy Volt PHEV and the
                                Nissan Leaf EV, both of which are coming to market in the near future. It is also the battery system
                                of  choice  for  other  vehicles  in  advanced  development.  Meanwhile,  the  lead-acid  battery  in  new
                                designs such as the Ultrabattery™ contain carbon in the Pb negative electrode, which provides a
                                capacitive effect to reduce sulfation of the negative electrode. This allows the use of such batteries
                                in microhybrid vehicles where the engine is turned off during periods of idling to reduce emissions
                                and  then  restarted  by  the  battery. All  of  these  advancements  are  detailed  in  a  new  Chap.  29  on
                                Batteries for Electric, Hybrid, and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles.
                                   Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage Systems are described in a new Chap. 30 which updates
                                and consolidates information provided in several chapters from the Third Edition. Recent informa-
                                tion from the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that lithium-ion may be the battery of choice for
                                energy storage and power conditioning applications in the future.
                                   In a similar vein, a new chapter on Batteries for Biomedical Applications has been added. This
                                combines and updates information from the Third Edition and places greater emphasis on the end
                                use and the selection of the battery required to meet such an application.

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