The newly released R&D Magazine has announced that ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) won a 2009 R&D 100 Award for its high safety STOBA lithium battery material. This marks the second consecutive year ITRI has captured this honor, having won for its AC-LED technology in 2008. R&D Magazine holds that to survive in the marketplace, new battery technologies must be both powerful and environmentally friendly. Hence, the STOBA technology was chosen one of the 2009 R&D 100 Award winners.

General Director Jonq-Min Liu of ITRI’s Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL) notes the lithium battery is the major power source for current electronic products, yet it is the most unstable electronics component. In the past, safety standards for lithium batteries could not be raised because there was no solution capable of meeting them.  The currently developed STOBA material greatly enhances the safety of lithium batteries.  Nine patents for this technology have been applied for in 29 projects. This will make Taiwan’s lithium battery industry stand out on the international arena.

MCL’s Deputy General Director Alex Peng points out that STOBA is a nano-grade polymer added to the lithium battery to form a protective film. When the lithium battery encounters excessive heat, external impact or piercing, STOBA immediately generates a locking effect to avoid shorting of the battery and interrupts electrical and chemical action to prevent excessive heat and ensure safety and practicality of the 3C product batteries and the electrical vehicle battery. STOBA technology has already passed the mandatory shorting and piercing experiments which are more stringent than the international safety standard.  Presently, this innovative material is the technology that has fundamentally resolved the lithium battery safety issue.
As a result of repeated trials and efforts, the R&D team of STOBA eventually found similar structure with features of heat-resistant, fair bonding and flexibility in the high molecular substance. After years of material improvement and testing, the predicament was overcome and all-new material was finally found. Besides effectively resolving the safety problem, the high temperature recycle life has been extended by more than 20%. Like the Buddhist practitioners, the material researchers need perseverance and resilience, making 99% efforts to win the last 1% serendipity.

Over the last couple of years, ITRI has frequently won international awards with its R&D accomplishments.  Aside from the R&D 100 global technology awards, recently ITRI’s paper-thin flexible loudspeaker also won the Technology Innovation Awards of the Wall Street Journal in its Consumer Electronics Category. Facing the economic recession, ITRI will continue to lead technology R&D and uncover new opportunities for the industry.