mPhase Technologies, Inc. has announced that it has been selected in a competitive process by the US Army for a Phase 1, Small Business Technology Transfer Grant, along with its collaborator, Rutgers University’s Energy Storage Research Group. The first stage of the award is to implement and characterize a lithium chemistry based version of the smart micro cell reserve battery to provide long term continuous power for a static RAM memory circuit for a computer device.
According to the award, the “Long shelf life, high power, multicell battery' submitted to the Army Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, has been competitively selected, with the award period to begin immediately.” The objective of the project is to “develop a low-power miniature (coin cell or similar) battery with a 30-plus year operational lifespan that is suitable for battery-backed static random access memory (SRAM) and environmentally friendly with minimal disposal issues.”
“We are pleased that army researchers have recognized the potential of our micro reserve battery to meet the Army’s need for a fundamental improvement in energy storage,” said Ron Durando, mPhase Technologies, CEO. “We are just scratching the surface of potential military applications for our battery technology.”
The technology currently being developed by mPhase/AlwaysReady, in conjunction with Rutgers University, promises to help transform the way the electronics industry currently looks at microbattery applications.
AlwaysReady and its technologies will have a number of exceptional advantages in its two initial products: a “smart” battery capable of producing current on demand after long term storage, as well as a family of uncooled magnetometers, including ultra sensitive versions capable of hundreds of times’ improvement in sensitivity over currently available designs.
Another immediate application for the defense and security sector for the micro reserve battery is as an energy source to power remote sensors in areas lacking electricity. The prototype battery is based on a discovery that liquid droplets of electrolyte will stay in a dormant state atop microscopic structures until stimulated to flow, thereby triggering a reaction producing electricity. This super-hydrophobic effect of liquids can permit precise control and activation of the batteries when required.