Background: The lithium battery industry is undergoing rapid expansion now representing the largest segment of the portable battery industry and dominating the computer cell phone and camera power source industry. High capacity and high rate lithium-ion batteries (LIB) with low cost and improved safety characteristics constitute a major requirement for electric vehicles portable electronics and other energy storage applications.
This invention provides compositions and methods for inducing and enhancing order and nanostructures in block copolymers and surfactants by certain nonpolymeric additives such as nanoparticles having an inorganic core and organic functional groups capable of hydrogen bonding. Various compositions having lattice order and nanostructures have been made from a variety of copolymers or surfactants that are mixed with nonpolymeric additives.
High-frequency electronic ballasts for gas discharge lamps are used widely in lighting systems today because of their merits of small size light weight high light luminous efficacy long life and no flicker no audible noise. In addition to numerous benefits over magnetic ballasts electronic ballasts can provide dimming control which is crucial nowadays in the energy-saving lighting systems. Study shows that more than fifty percent energy savings can be achieved with dimming systems.
Background: Currently MnO2 is commonly coated onto current collectors to form very thin films with a thickness of ten to one-thousand nanometers in order to minimize the limitation of poor conductivity. Therefore the relative amount of MnO2 on current collector is always low and does not provide sufficient energy and power density.
Invention: The University of Florida is seeking companies interested in commercializing direct methanol fuel cells for greater energy storage capacity in portable electronics including laptops. The direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are two to three times smaller than available rechargeable batteries for 24-hour operation. Methanol is an inexpensive widely available fuel that can be extracted from both natural gas and renewable plant materials such as wood.
A lithium-ion battery (sometimes Li-ion battery or LIB) is a member of a family of rechargeable battery types in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging. Lithium-ion batteries are common in consumer electronics. They are one of the most popular types of rechargeable batteries for portable electronics, with a high energy density, no memory effect, and only a slow loss of charge when not in use.
In public buildings lighting accounts for about 40% of the electricity costs. If you multiply this figure by the number of kindergartens, schools and universities, town halls, local government buildings and government departments, libraries, swimming pools and hospitals, then the total is enormous. Lighting in public buildings is currently consuming far more energy than necessary, with all the negative side-effects such as high running costs, electricity bottlenecks and damage to the climate. That can easily be changed.
The true cost of cheap products: The city hall employees had put up with poor lighting at their workplace for far too long: gloomy corridors, flickering fluorescent lamps, and no emergency lighting or outdoor lighting. And the monthly electricity bills were enormous. Finally, it was decided that the building has to be renovated. A lighting expert analysed the status quo, produced a new lighting strategy, and drew up a plan to implement this.
