SBIR Phase I: New and Improved Zinc-Air Battery System and Devices

这个小企业创新研究一期项目将开发一系列新一代的初级和可充电锌空气电池。单个单元将使用新的和改进的内部设计，并将在其组成中纳入许多新材料和创新的技术解决方案。计划对电池的材料清单进行全面修订。后者将寻求提高电池的实际比能量，显着延长使用寿命，提高速率能力，防止因阳极腐蚀而产生的电池内气体，并使电池能够更好地抵抗湿度的影响。新产品概念应组装成三种独特修改内部设计的标准电池尺寸（例如LR2450， AA和D），并与参考电池进行测试，以得出其性能优势，并为原型设计和商业化奠定基础。最终目标是制造出比能达到550+Wh/kg的电池（达到这个值将使该技术比行业领先品牌提高25%）。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是将新型和改进的锌空气电池和电池商业化。它们具有被市场成功采用的巨大潜力。预计的需求是由许多因素驱动的，其中主要的一个因素是传统锌空气电池的大量安装基础。后者是助听器医疗设备的首选技术。在发达国家人口老龄化的推动下，助听器的采用将以一定的速度增长，预计到2017年，锌-空气系统的全球市场将达到4亿美元。此外，锌-空气将继续在一些利基与军事使用。该电池的另外三个有利可图的机会是用于公用事业的能量存储、无人值守的rfid、自主健康监测系统和固定电源。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a series of primary and rechargeable Zinc-Air batteries of new generation. Individual cells will use a new and improved interior design, as well as will incorporate in their composition a host of novel materials and innovative technological solutions. A complete revision of the bill of materials for the battery is planned. The latter will seek to enhance practical Specific Energy of cells, dramatically boosting operational service life, increasing rate capability, preventing in-cell gassing due to corrosion of the anode, and making cells that can better resist the effects of humidity. New product concepts shall be assembled into three standard cell sizes (e.g. LR2450, AA and D) of uniquely modified interior design, and tested against their reference counterparts, so as to conclude on their performance advantages, and to establish grounds for prototyping and commercialization. The ultimate goal is to build cells that will demonstrate Specific Energy of 550+Wh/kg (achieving this value would put this technology at 25% improvement over industry leading brands).The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to commercialize new and improved Zinc-Air Batteries and cells. They hold a tremendous potential for successful adoption by the market. The projected demand is driven by a number of factors, with the major one being a substantial installed base currently populated by the conventional Zinc-Air batteries. The latter is the technology of choice in the hearing aid medical devices. Driven by the aging population in the developed countries, the adoption of hearing aid devices is due to increase at a rate, which is forecasted to drive the market for Zinc-Air systems to $400M worldwide by 2017. Also, Zinc-Airs will continue to be used in some niches with the military. Three other lucrative opportunities identified for the specific battery is in the energy storage for utilities, unattended RFIDs, autonomous health monitoring systems and stationary power supplies.