NEC Announces the Development of New Proton-Polymer Battery

NEC Corp. (Dallas, TX) announced the development of a new proton-polymer battery designed to provide backup power for car cellular phones. The battery's power density and charge/discharge life-cycle characteristics are similar to those of electrical double-layer capacitors and NEC has introduced it as an electrical double-layer capacitor.

NEC's proton-polymer battery offers a power density of 1,000W/kg and a weight energy density of 10Wh/kg to 20Wh/kg, a reasonable combination of power density and weight-energy density. Performance is roughly midway between existing double-layer capacitors and batteries. It also features a charge/discharge life cycle of over 10,000 cycles, and a weight-energy density of 0.5Wh/kg to 3Wh/kg.

Possible applications include backup for radio-frequency modules of Bluetooth systems and memories in cellular phones, as well as alternatives to existing conventional lead-acid batteries. It is also possible that they may be used as auxiliary power sources for regenerative energy in hybrid-electric and fuel cell vehicles.

NEC plans to ship samples of the new battery in October 2000, but no clear target applications have yet been found. A battery prototype measuring about 30cm square has already been developed.