Nanowire Batteries

than conventional batteries. This is accomplished through the manufacture of
nanowires, and a proprietary process which provides for molecular precision,
less waste and better efficiencies. We believe our technology and process,
which is proprietary at the moment, will result in a revolution in battery design
and manufacturing.

How Our Product Works

At a fundamental level, batteries consist of three parts:
an anode (the - pole), a cathode (the + pole) and an
electrolyte. When a connection is made between the +
and - poles, a chemical reaction causes electrons to flow
from the cathode (+) into the anode (-) and out through
the external circuit where they are used to power things.

Many companies and research institutions are working
on "thin film" batteries. These are batteries that are
created using many of the same techniques used to
create integrated circuits (ICs). They start with a wafer
(a flat disc that may be made of silicon, glass, ceramic,
or other material; see figure 1). It could be 2" or as
much as 8" or larger in diameter.

The thin film battery manufacturer will then deposit battery
materials on the wafer in special configurations. A simple
diagram is shown in figure 2.

The amount of energy the battery can produce is
determined by the mass of the cathode (that is, the more
cathode material there is, the more atoms there are,
therefore, the more electrons are available to provide
power).

The surface are, however, is like the doorway of the
electrons to the anode. The larger the surface area, the
more electrons that can escape the cathode at a given
time. Figure 3 highlights the surface area of a thin film
cathode.

Nanowire batteries are attractive because they increase
the surface area by a very large amount. Therefore, they
can provide a greater power burst in a relatively small
footprint (see figure 4).

Research Results

Our research to date has been very promising and we are excited about the prospects we see. Below,
we have listed some of the advantages and comparisons we are seeing in our unique design and
manufacturing processes.

The Biggest Hurdles

We are not the only company pursuing nanowire batteries. There are others who recognize the
potential advantages of this technology.

But, as with any new technology, there are some issues. The biggest problems (in our view) with
nanowire batteries are twofold: cost and structure. We are addressing both of these.

The cost problem

Nanowires (and thin films) require very expensive equipment and processes to manufacture. The key
component to our proprietary technology is the fact that we are able to make multiple nanowire devices
at the same time without using some of the expensive equipment used by other processes.

The structure problem

Some nanowire cathode attempts have had difficulty. These include adhesion of nanowires to cathode
material and getting the electrolyte particles between the nanowires. We believe we have methods to
address this issue as well.

For More Information . . .

Learn where this technology will be used

Learn more about nanotechnology

Learn more about batteries

Capacity	Our product is showing greater power densities than standard lithium ion (Li Ion) batteries.
Weight and size	Our product is lighter and physically smaller; we are using advanced methods that have provided advantages in this area.
Volume	Our product is significantly smaller and scalable.
Self-discharge	Our self-discharge rate appears to be very low; Ni Cad at 20% and NiMH at 30%.
Aging	While we have not yet concluded our research in this, indications are our batteries may have significantly better aging.