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These batteries can handle the cold

By Paul Grad | April 1, 2018

Lithium-ion batteries based on intercalation compound electrodes exhibit poor performance at temperatures
below 0°C. Insufficient ionic conductivity and freezing of the electrolyte are generally seen as the main
reasons for the poor performance of rechargeable batteries at low temperatures. Although several attempts
have been made to solve this problem, those attempts involved additional materials that added extra weight,
which is detrimental for portable devices.

Now a team from Fudan University (Shanghai, China; www.fudan.edu.cn) has developed an ethyl acetate-
based electrolyte that exhibits sufficient ionic conductivity at –70°C. Ethyl acetate was a promising choice due
to its low freezing point of –84°C, but the low-temperature performance of ethyl acetate electrolyte had never
been investigated previously.

For the electrodes, the team used two organic polymers: a polytriphenylamine (PTPAn) cathode; and a 1,4,5,8-
naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA)-derived polymide (PNTCDA) anode. Unlike the electrodes
used in Li-ion batteries, these organic compounds do not rely on intercalation — the process of integrating ions
into the electrodes’ molecular matrix.

The team noted that their battery offers several other advantages. “Compared to the transition-metal-
containing electrode materials in conventional Li-ion batteries, organic materials are abundant, inexpensive
and environmentally friendly,” says team member Yongyao Xia. He estimates the price of the team’s electrode
materials at about one third that of the electrodes in a commercial Li-ion battery.

More work will be required before the new battery can be commercialized, however. The specific energy
(energy per unit mass) of the new battery is still low compared with commercial Li-ion batteries, and the
assembly process needs to be further improved.

From: SOURCE http://www.chemengonline.com/batteries-can-handle-cold/

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WORKSHEET
A) Reading comprehension:

Read and complete the charts with the correct information.

1.
ENGLISH: SPANISH:
TITLE
These batteries can handle the Estas baterías pueden manejar el frío
cold

http://www.chemengonline.com/batteries-can- http://www.chemengonline.com/baterias-
SOURCE handle-cold/ pueden-manejar-frio/

DATE OF April 1, 2018 1 de Abril del 2018

PUBLICATION

2. Write your answers in Spanish

ADVANTAGES OF EACH BATTERY DISADVANTAGES OF EACH BATTERY

a. BATERÍAS DE IONES DE ACETATO: a. BATERIAS DE IONES DE ACETATO:

-Tienen un alto rendimiento a temperaturas menores -La energía específica de la batería es muy baja
de T=0°C -El proceso de ensamblaje es dificultoso
-Poseen un bajo punto de congelación de T= -84 ° C
- Los materiales de electrodos son orgánicos
abundantes, económicos y ecológicos
- Poseen electrodos que permiten que los
compuestos orgánicos no dependan de la
intercalación.
b. BATERIAS DE IONES DE LITIO: b. BATERÍAS DE IONES DE LITIO:

-La energía específica de la batería es muy alta
- El proceso de ensamblaje es eficiente.
-Tienen un bajo rendimiento a temperaturas menores
de T=0°C
-Poseen un alto punto de congelación de electrolitos
-Los materiales de electrodos contienen metales que
inciden en el proceso.
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B) Morphological Analysis.

1. Focus on the words in bold and italics in paragraphs one and two.

2. Analyze them from the point of view of their form. Decide which grammatical
category the words belong to and how they were formed: Affixation:
Prefixes/suffixes or Compounding.

B) Solution:

word Grammatical Category Formation of the word

Intercalation noun suffixes

Electrodes noun flexion
Performance noun suffixes
Insufficient noun/adjetive prefixes
Generally adverb compounding
Rechargeable adjetive suffixes
Additional materials noun - adjetive compounding
Exhibits noun flexion
Low adjetive
Low-Temperature adjective - noun compounding
Previously adverb suffixes