This particular thread was developed to address Valence Technology and Ultralife Battery and in particular the solid state lithium polymer batteries they are developing separately by their both licensing the core technology from Bell Research Corp. (Bellcore). This particular battery is similar in chemistry and specifications to the lithium ion cell but it differs in that it has a polymer (read, plastic) electolyte which makes the battery able to be produced as a flat sheet and and it doesn't require a round metal can or the wet electolyte that lithium ion cells do. (Actually, the last point is debatable because the plastic battery has the electrolyte encapsulated within the polymer, but appears as if it were dry).
This solid state technology has been proposed for many different applications, just about all that you can think of, with cell phones and laptops at the head of the list and electric vehicle propulsion towards the bottom.
As to why you've noticed Japan as having more lithium ion cell phone offerings may be explained by the fact that Japan manufactures more lithium ion (not lithium polymer) batteries than anywhere else, and they give a performance advantage over any other available technology.
You mention just two technologies, NiMH and lithium ion and in this thread we bring in a third - lithium polymer. I expect lithium polymer to be a premium product in comparison to the first two because the battery can take a variety of shapes, doesn't waste space due to fitting cylindrical shapes in sqare holes, and thus may achieve greater energy density.
Cost points will be a major deciding factor on the product life of each technology, but in particular applications, it may well turn out that the shapes that lithium polymer may assume will be a very positive factor.
So, in rereading your post, you didn't seem to have caught the significance of the lithium polymer battery yet. I hope that this was helpful. Try these company web sites:
valence-tech.com
ulbi.com |
