Press release by the Technical University of Delft:

Lithium ion batteries technologies – a revolutionising development

According to Prof. Schoonman, a known coating technology was applied for the first time by the Dutch company OGRON to produce cathodes and anodes of rechargeable lithium batteries, a real break-through for the storage technology:

Fast as a super capacitator without its limitations, longevity (30 years and more), without thermal limitations during charge and discharge, no environmental pollution through, 100% without process solvents safe and cost efficient.

This technology appears to avoid all problems from which conventional lithium storage technologies still suffer.

The active materials, without any additives, are thermo-coated directly onto the collector foil to form one unit. This can be used for all Transitional metal oxides, Lithium metal phosphates (olivine) and silicates.

With thermal-spraying, in essence, a gas flow (e.g. nitrogen) is brought to extremely high speed. The selected material, in powder form, is then added. Using thermal spraying, the desired coating materials are fused ore melted with different technologies in a burner and deposited onto the surface of the component. To ensure grouting of the melted particles on the surface it is mostly previously scored by radiation. This creates a solid adhesive layer.

Looking, for example, at the cathode, a significant improvement of the electric conductivity is achieved.

The Technical University of Delft has cooperated with Franz W. Winterberg (the founder of GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke in Germany), the inventor, since 1995 and has also given scientific support to this revolutionary development.

Henny Wiggers, managing director of OGRON BV, announced that the company will present during the 5th International Symposium of Large Ion Battery Technology and Application (LLIBTA; June 8 - 10, 2009; Long Beach, California) a standard car

• equipped with a 70 kWh OGRON battery
• with a 500 km reach
• rechargeable within 5 minutes

Mr. Wiggers added, that it is planned to also use this conference to contact battery manufacturers and investors. He stressed that this new technology will make lithium batteries cheaper than today's traditional lead-acid starter batteries.

Delft, 23 – 3 – 2009
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. J. Schoonman

Read the whole press release (pdf)