Projo Biz Blog

In lithium batteries, it's the salt that helps shuttle ions back and forth, giving the battery its charge. Existing batteries typically use a salt known as LiPF6, which breaks down after five years or so.

That may be fine for cell phones and laptop computers, but consumers of electric cars, for example, expect the batteries to last longer. So engineers use nickel metal hydride batteries, whose drawback is that they weigh more and, therefore, don't offer as many miles per gallon.

"LiPF6 doesn't have very good thermal stability," said Lucht. "What people have been doing for the last seven or eight years is putting in additives, a small amount of something, to try to improve its properties."

One of the additives they tried produced the new compound.

The new salt "has comparable conductivity and it's much more thermally stable," said Lucht. "We believe it has superior performance at elevated temperatures. It holds up to the abuse better and doesn't take as much of a hit."

He said several Fortune 500 companies have already asked for samples of the salt for testing.

In addition, the URI Energy Center, which Lucht co-directs, has received a $731,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Vehicle Technologies.

The researchers are also working with Yardney Technical Products of Pawcatuck, Conn., which makes specialty batteries for the military and NASA.

gemery@projo.com / (401)277-7442