Jerry Barker is now working full-time at Faradion Limited - a UK-based start-up  company  engaged in the research and development of next generation (non-lithium) energy storage devices.

Important and exciting news about the company should follow shortly...

Jerry can be contacted at the company using the following email address:

jerry.barker@faradion.co.uk

Research and interest on Tavorite-type vanadium fluorophosphates continues to gain pace. These triclinic structured materials, which were first described by Jerry Barker and co-workers, are extremely promising electrode materials for both Li-ion and Na-ion batteries.

Continuing this general theme, a recent paper by Park et al (Scientific Reports 2, October 2012) describes a new layer structure lithium/sodium vanadium fluorophosphate, Li1.1Na0.4VPO4.8F0.7.

Jerry Barker has recently been appointed CTO of Faradion Limited. This hi-tech start-up company located in the UK is engaged in the development of next generation energy storage devices.

More information about Faradion may be found  at the company website:

Faradion Limited Website

Jerry Barker has been selected to receive the IBA Technology Award of 2012. The prestigious award is granted based on "contributions made to identifying new secondary battery cathode materials and related materials research field, which have been recognized internationally."

An important US patent has recently issued  (Inventors: Jerry Barker and Yazid Saidi) covering new synthesis routes to making valuable phosphate-based electrode active materials for lithium-ion batteries. The full details may be found here:

US#8057769: Method for making phosphate-based electrode active materials.

Valence Technology Inc. has won its Canadian patent infringement lawsuit (Tuesday, February 17, 2011) regarding its proprietary carbothermal reduction technology (CTR).  The lawsuit was filed against Phostech Lithium Inc. and the judgment entitles Valence to an injunction, an election of either an accounting of profits or damages, reasonable compensation and costs. The Valence press release for this announcement may be found here:

Valence Technology Victorious in Canadian Patent Infringement Lawsuit

The CTR invention was invented and developed by Jerry Barker and co-workers as the most economical process for the manufacturing of lithium metal phosphates for battery applications. Valence has been using this technology for several years to make its lithium iron magnesium phosphate material.

 

A recent article in the J. American Chemical Society entitled New Lithium Iron Pyrophosphate as 3.5 V Class Cathode for Lithium Ion Battery has described the promising electrochemical properties of the lithium insertion material, Li2FeP2O7. 

The Li2FeP2O7 material represents one example of a class of lithium metal diphosphates materials, Li2MP2O7 (where M = +2 oxidation state transition metal). The use of these materials in battery applications is covered in the following issued US Patent (Inventors: Barker and Saidi, filed April 2003):

US#7008566: Oligo Phosphate-based Electrode Active Materials.

Two important US patents  (Inventors: Jerry Barker and co-workers) covering various aspects of lithium-ion battery technology have recently been issued. The full details may be found here:

US#7767322: Alkali/transition metal phosphates and related electrode active materials.

US#7771628: Electrodes comprising mixed active particles.

Alkali metal fluorosulfate materials (AMSO4F, A  = Li or Na) are currently receiving significant attention as potentially valuable new cathode active materials for advanced battery applications. The use of these materials in energy storage applications is covered in the following US Patent application (US 2005/0163699- Inventors: Jerry Barker and co-workers):

Fluorosulfate based electrode active materials and methods of making the same.

It should also be noted that earlier US patent applications by the same inventors also cover these materials in various energy storage applications.

Pellion Technologies Inc., an MIT spin-out company researching new magnesium-based energy storage systems has launched its website:

Pellion Technologies Inc.

An important and  recently issued US patent entitled Sodium Ion Batteries (US#7759008-  Inventors: Jerry Barker and co-workers) describes the use of polyanion cathode materials in these advanced battery applications. Sodium ion batteries may out-perform their lithium counterparts in terms of performance,  cost and safety.

Last month the U.S. Department of Energy announced it is awarding $106 million in federal funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). Within the Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage in Transportation (BEEST) sector there were some important awards for Pellion Technologies Inc. and ReVolt Technology LLP.

More information on the objectives of BEEST may be found here:

The ARPA-E BEEST Program

 

An important new paper by M.V.Reddy and co-workers confirms the excellent long term lithium cycling behavior of the novel lithium vanadium fluorophosphate phase, LiVPO4F. The abstract for the paper may be found here:

Long term cycling studies on the 4V cathode, lithium vanadium fluorophosphate

A new important US patent entitled Electrode active material and method of making the same has issued. The patent describes the use and preparation of a number of cathode active materials for use in next generation Li-ion batteries.

Jerry Barker will be co-authoring two papers to be presented at the up-coming 15th International Meeting on Lithium Batteries 2010 (IMLB-2010) to be held in Montreal, Canada during June and July this year.

More information on the IMLB-2010 conference, including the abstracts to the two papers, may be found here:

IMLB-2010

Jerry Barker was part of the UK KTN Nanomission to Germany and Switzerland on March 2-5, 2010. The  mission was designed to provide a framework for collaboration between laboratories in the important areas of nano-enabled clean energy.  Jerry Barker was representing Surion Energy Limited - a new company developing next generation Li-ion battery technology. 

More information on Surion Energy may be found here:

Surion Energy Limited

Hybrid-ion cells are a new and exciting concept in energy storage technology. In these cells, a non-lithium containing cathode material is coupled with a suitable lithium-based anode material such as graphite, hard carbon or lithium titanate, Li4/3Ti5/3O4. This simple but novel approach greatly increases the number of commercially useful cathode materials. By comparison with lithium, only a limited number of sodium insertion materials have been properly characterized for use in energy storage devices.

More information may be found here:

Hybrid-ion: A lithium ion cell base on a sodium insertion material

LTO/Na3V2(PO4)2F3: An example of a hybrid-ion cell based on a non-graphitic anode.

Sodium-ion batteries represent an important energy storage alternative to conventional lithium-ion technology. Based on initial data these batteries should offer similar electrochemical characteristics to their lithium counterparts. In addition, they may provide some significant performance advantages such as: lower material costs and improved safety performance. These properties will be particularly important in future large format  applications.

Further information may be found here:

A Sodium-ion cell based on the fluorophosphate compound, NaVPO4F

US Patent#6872492

Recent work on the electrochemical performance of lithium iron sulfide, Li2FeS2, in Li-ion cells has been presented by J. Barker and co-workers at the 216th ECS Meeting, Vienna, Austria in October 2009. The abstract may be found here:

Li2FeS2: A low-cost, high capacity cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

IBM has entered the automotive energy storage arena. The company's Battery 500 Project aims to  boost the range for full EV vehicles from less than 100 miles today (using Li-ion technology) to as much as 500 miles.

According to IBM researchers the solution may lie in the development of commercial Lithium-air (Li-air) batteries.

Check out my blog for more information on this news story:

http://jerrybarker.blogspot.com/

In a much-publicised move on September 24, 2009 the  nanophosphate Li-ion battery manufacturer A123 Systems went public with an initial public offering of $13.50/share. The IPO raised the company around $380 million. Within days of trading the stock price had risen to over $25 valuing the company at over $2 Billion.

The stock is listed on the NASDAQ with the stock symbol, AONE.

Jerry Barker has set-up a new Blog site. The aim of this blog will be to provide useful background information in the burgeoning energy storage sector - especially focussing on Li-ion battery technology. The blog will also discuss news regarding other areas of interest - non-lithium battery technologies, phosphate active materials, thin-film photovoltaics, Zn-air systems, electrodeposition, as well as related intellectual property issues. Find the blog here:

Barker's Battery Blog

Valence Technology Inc.

We would like to announce that as of August 1, 2009, Jerry Barker will no longer have any professional association with the advanced Li-ion battery producer, Valence Technology Inc. Jerry would like to wish Valence every success in the future.

In-situ X-ray Diffraction studies on on the LiVPO4F cathode material by N.I. Basir, C. Masquelier and J. Barker will be presented at the up-coming LiBD-4 meeting in Arcachon, France in September 2009. The link to the abstract for this work may be found here:

In-Situ X-Ray diffraction during Li extraction insertion in the LiVPO4F – VPO4F system

Novel titanate-based phases are currently experiencing significant interest as possible new cathode active materials for next generation Li-ion batteries. Jerry Barker is the named inventor on the US patents covering the use of LiMTiO4 and Li2MTiO4 materials in these battery applications. Links to these patents may be found here:

LiMTiO4 materials (M = V, Cr, Fe, Mn etc.).

Li2MTiO4 materials (M = Fe, Mn, Ni, Co etc.).

The US patent covering the novel synthesis method for some of these materials may be found here:

Titanate Synthesis Method.

Lithium Metal Phosphates, power and automotive applications.

Synthesis, Characterisation of Iron Tungstate anode materials.

The abstract for this paper may be found here:

Reactivity of charged LiVPO4F with EC:DEC electrolyte at high temperature as studied by accelerating rate calorimetry.

Batteries 2008 Conference

Lithium-ion Active Materials.

Phosphates for Li-ion Batteries - Materials, Synthesis and Future Opportunities.

A Brief Review of Valence Technology's Phosphate Program.

June 2002 - The lithium insertion properties of the Li3V2(PO4)3 material have been reported by J. Barker et al. in Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 5, A149, (2002). The work features for the first time the cycling of all three lithium ions in the Nasicon structure - equivalent to a reversible specific capacity of over 190 mAh/g. It is suggested that the LVP compound may find application in commercial lithium ion cells.