Importance of the Technology
A new generation of wireless devices and portable entertainment products is making power demands on batteries that existing technologies are finding difficult to meet. Reductions in operating voltage have done little to offset the problem as designers continue to enhance their products with extra features and capabilities. In addition to coping with increased functionality—such as color displays, speech-recognition capability, and embedded MP3 players—batteries are having to cope with significant increases in voice and data traffic. And life for batteries will become even tougher. Future developments—such as location-based services, electronic banking, and a plethora of information and entertainment services—will increase the burden on battery life. At an even smaller scale, the development of miniature remote-sensing and microelectromechanical systems is also creating a need for miniature energy sources that can power microsize devices independently or become an integral part of devices through the use of thin-film fabrication technologies.
Although micro energy sources are not yet a commercial reality, considerable research effort and funding are centering on miniature power supplies to solve the portable energy needs of the future. This research is investigating the potential of a range of energy sources, including kinetic, photovoltaic, electrochemical, thermal, and biological technologies. The ability of manufacturers to deposit microbatteries directly onto printed circuit boards provides a significant competitive advantage over stand-alone batteries—that OEMs are keen to exploit. In addition to assessing how batteries can remain competitive in powering future portable and miniature devices, this Technology Map discusses two of the alternative micro energy sources under development: micro fuel cells and microturbines. |
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| Micro Energy Sources Contents |
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Importance of the Technology |
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Recent Developments |
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Researchers Develop Micro Fuel Cells for Medical Applications |
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Scientists Make Progress in Microbattery Development |
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Micro Fuel Cell Receives Air Clearance |
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The Technology in Brief |
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Batteries |
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Micro Fuel Cells |
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Microturbines |
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Commercial Development Parameters |
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Areas to Monitor |
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Dry-Polymer Electrolytes |
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Carbon-Nanotube Hydrogen Storage |
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Nanostructured Electrode Materials |
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Microcomponent Integration |
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Packaging of Liquid Fuels |
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Power Needs of Portable Devices |
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Advances in Micromachining |
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Embedded Power Sources |
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MEMS |
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Energy from Living Cells |
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Implications of Commercialization |
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Batteries Dominate in Portable-Electronics Applications |
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Micro Fuel Cells Compete to Power Portable Devices |
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Microturbines Threaten Markets for Batteries and Micro Fuel Cells |
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Applications |
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Mobile Communications and Entertainment Devices |
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Smart Cards |
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Medical Applications |
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Robots and Unmanned Vehicles |
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Players |
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Updates |
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