ITRI's STOBA Technology for Li Battery Wins R&D 100 Award

Taipei, Oct. 14, 2009 (CENS)--The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) recently announced that it won the R&D Magazine R&D 100 Awards for its high-safety lithium battery material, the STOBA.

For 47 years, the prestigious R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market. Many of these have become household names, helping shape everyday life, the research institute said.

Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL) under ITRI's deputy general director Alex Peng, explained that STOBA is a nano-grade high-molecular material added to lithium battery to form a protective film automatically. "When a lithium battery encounters the excessive heat, external impact or piercing," Peng furthered to explain, "the STOBA would immediately generate the locking effect to avoid short-circuit of the battery, interrupts electrical and chemical actions to prevent excessive heat, and ensure the safety and practicality of the 3C (computer, communication, and consumer electronics) or electrical vehicle (EV) batteries.

STOBA technology has already passed the mandatory shorting and piercing experiments, which is more stringent than the international safety standard, MCL claimed. "Currently, STOBA is the only technology in the globe using innovative material that has fundamentally resolved the lithium battery safety issue," the laboratory stressed.

In the past, the general director stressed, safer lithium batteries were not available because there was no really-effective solution. "The newly developed STOBA material can greatly enhance the safety of lithium battery," Liu said, "the technology has won 9 patents in 29 projects, and this material technology will make Taiwan's lithium-battery industry stand out in the international arena."

Peng also pointed out that to promote industry upgrading, ITRI has plans to tie up with lithium battery makers to form a high-safety lithium battery R&D alliance, which has drawn the interest of many leading companies as E-One Moli Energy Corp. and Simplo Technology Co., Ltd.