Applications in the Energy Domain

Alloys for Rechargeable Batteries

• Applications
• Nickel / Rare-Earth Batteries
• Applications for the Electronuclear Industry

• Applications

The individualized electronic equipment trend of the last few years has contributed to its increased portability, resulting in an accelerated need for autonomous energy and miniaturization.

In the communications field, mobile telephones bear testimony to this evolution. This is also true for portable computers, video cameras, a variety of photography equipment, toys, portable tools, electrical vehicles, etc. New generations of batteries also find application in the space (satellites) and automobile (electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles) industries.

• Nickel / Rare-Earth Batteries

Nickel/Rare Earth batteries, known as NIMH which stands for Nickel Metal Hydride, have twice-the-performance of nickel-cadmium batteries, reduced size, and have a longer life span. Moreover, because they contain no heavy metals (cadmium, lead, and mercury), nickel /Rare-Earth batteries contribute to the protection of the environment.

Due to those characteristics, nickel /Rare Earth batteries are the most widely used system in portable telephones. They are starting to replace nickel-cadmium batteries in the portable tools market. Nickel /rare-earth batteries are also used extensively in the different types of electrical vehicles under development.

• Applications for the Electronuclear Industry

The thermal neutron capture section of gadolinium is by far the largest encountered: 46,000 b per atom, compared with just a few thousand barns for standard elements, making it the element of choice in the nuclear industry as an essential component of the control rods, where it operates as a consumable poison and neutron trap in a reactor.
Consider: 1b - 10-28m²

The neutron capture property of gadolinium is also used in applications requiring a neutron protection barrier. Thus, the cyclotron walls and doors used for experiments by physicists contain gadolinium in various forms.

• Contacts

If you would like more informations, please contact:
ec-electronics@eu.rhodia.com