New Explosion-Proof Battery Unveiled

A team of Korean scientists that discovered the mott-transition phenomenon, an incident in which non-conducting metals become conductors, has successfully created prototype products by applying the principles of their discovery.

The team, led by Kim Hyun-tak at the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (KETRI), said Wednesday that they have succeeded in developing a “cell phone and notebook battery explosion prevention system” for the first time in the world by using the mott -transition phenomenon.

Battery explosions by over-voltage have indeed become a serious problem as seen in the notebook explosion incident recently occurred at an airport in the U.S.

Unlike existing positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors that have a limit in preventing overheating as they can merely check over-current, the lately developed system is capable of lowering temperature of batteries by discharging current immediately.

“Mott insulators are expected to generate enormous economic outcomes even if they are used just for batteries of cell phones or notebooks,” Kim said. “The ETRI has applied 24 patents in many countries over various areas like electrical and electronic material production.”

Some 600 million cell phones and 100 million notebooks are sold each year.

“The ETRI will start to look for a firm to commercialize the technology after hosting a symposium on the development in November,” an official of the ETRI said. “The commercialization of the technology is anticipated to take place in earnest in about two or three years.”

In the meantime, some researchers and corporations pointed out that although they respect the ETRI’s technological achievement, it will need some more time to find out its commercial viability.

“There are still many hurdles for mott conductors to overcome like mass production and cost in order to survive in the fierce competition against advanced electrical and electronic materials”, an official of a technology research center of a Korean conglomerate said.

mikemoon@donga.com kunta@donga.com