Oct 18 2010
Two important papers being presented at the Materials Science & Technology (MS&T'10) Conference and Exhibition in Houston October 17-21 focus on advances in the use of microwaves to produce key battery materials.
The authors of both papers are Kuruvilla (Karl) Cherian, Ph.D., Director of Applied Research at Spheric Technologies, Inc., a Phoenix, Arizona, high-temperature industrial microwave technology innovator; Spheric Technologies Executive Vice President Michael Kirksey; and Sandwip Dey, Ph.D., and Xiaodi Sun of Arizona State University. The high-temperature industrial microwave furnace systems referenced in both papers were supplied by Spheric Technologies.
The paper "Development of Microwave Enhanced Solid State Synthesis Technologies for Battery Materials" notes that "Several technologically important materials have been synthesized rapidly and effectively through microwave enhanced solid state synthesis routes. Microwave enhanced solid state routes were investigated for lithium battery materials synthesis. Initial process development trials were carried out in an advanced programmable industrial type microwave furnace. This paper presents results in the development of special microwave enhanced solid state synthesis technology for LiFePO4 and Li4Ti5O12. Resulting phase purity could be further improved by judicious time-temperature-microwave power profile programming and variation of other parameters. The best time variable profile obtained in the batch system could be suitably adapted and transformed into a space variable profile in a recently commissioned Advanced Microwave Pusher System for continuous processing, to achieve industrial production throughput levels."
"Microwave Enhanced Rapid Solid State Synthesis of LiFePO4" is a companion paper being presented in a separate session of the MS&T'10 conference. "LiFePO4 is a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. Conventional processing routes take tens of hours for synthesis of the required lithium phase. Faster, greener and more economical methods of synthesis are therefore desirable. A microwave enhanced solid state chemical synthesis approach utilizing an advanced multimode industrial microwave furnace was used for LiFePO4. Trials have shown that through a microwave enhanced synthesis route this material has been synthesized in minutes, instead of hours as in the conventional route. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of the required phase. The time-temperature-microwave power programming facility of the advanced microwave furnace system together with judicious variation of other process parameters have shown the suppression of unwanted phases and increase of the required phase purity in the reaction product. This paper discusses some of the experiments and results in this regard and their implications."
Last month, Spheric Technologies announced it had inked an international cooperative marketing agreement with Victec Europe Limited. Both companies develop microwave technology, equipment and applications, and each has exclusive territorial rights for the sale of microwave furnaces built by SynoTherm Corporation Ltd. - Spheric markets the furnaces in North America, Central America and South America, while Victec markets throughout Europe.
Spheric Technologies recently announced it has developed a time- and cost- saving production process for a cathode material utilized in lithium ion batteries -- lithium ferro phosphate. The company filed patent applications covering microwave techniques, material and technology for the synthesis of lithium ion battery materials.
The company announced in August that the Western Hemisphere's first high-temperature (1500° C) AMPS continuous production microwave furnace is operating at New York's NanoMaterials Innovation Center (NMIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alfred Technology Resources, Inc. (ATRI), near the campus of Alfred University.