Phoenix, AZ 17, August 2009 — Next Alternative Inc. is merging on the onset of a new economy driven by the need to reduce the demand for fossil fuels and find alternatives for energy. The management believes this new market will be the driver for future world transportation needs and intends to be an innovator bringing existing technologies together and melding them to meet future demand.

Next Alternative Inc’s Carbon Nano Tube technology modifies existing battery design types (most kinds of commercially available batteries) to produce a battery that at the very least will recharge in less than 10 minutes and have an increased Reserve Capacity of at least 8 times the same unmodified battery. This will allow providing the hybrid and electric car markets with a battery that far exceeds anything currently available to them at this time. The Carbon Nano Tube Battery (CNT Battery) will be the technology Next Alternative brings to market.
In the next 12 months sales are expected to be over 150 Million Euros and we have begun the process towards a dual listing on the CNSX. We are presently on the open market on the Frankfurt Exchange and we are making efforts to move to Entry Standard shortly.

Over the next 18 months, we will license additional technologies to complement our battery technology and supply the marketplace with integrated solutions to become a one stop supply house.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: Actual future results may differ from the anticipated results expressed in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release and Next Alternative Inc. does not undertake to update this information. Investors are cautioned against placing undue importance on forward-looking information contained herein. and should consult Next Alternative’s disclosure documents filed from time to time as public filings which contain a more exhaustive analysis of risks and uncertainties connected to Next Alternative Inc.’s business.

For further information: Next Alternative Inc. Roger Gervais, COO, 613-755-4023, roger (at)next-alternative.com
www.next-alternative.com

In the latest bit of battery tech to come out of MIT, researchers have modified a virus so that it connects charges stored in standard lithium battery materials with a carbon nanotube electrode.

Researchers have developed a specific formulation of lithium-iron phosphate that allows lithium charges to rapidly move in and out of the storage medium, which allows for extremely fast charge/discharge cycles. Charges in this material move so quickly, in fact, that the primary limit to these batteries becomes the amount of electrode material needed to keep them fed. A potential way forward was released in Thursday’s edition of Science Express: building highly structured electrodes using an engineered virus.

The fast-charge batteries were developed at MIT, and there is another group on campus that has been experimenting with using viruses to structure battery components. The two teams have apparently been talking-one of the authors of last month’s paper appears on the current one-and the new report involves using viruses to structure an electrode material that incorporates iron phosphate.

The basic concept that drives the work is the recognition that biological systems can self-assemble into ordered structures and, with the appropriate modifications, can be used to order additional materials. In this case, the biological material involved is the M13 phage, which assembles into long, filamentous structures using many copies of a few simple proteins. By altering the sequence of the proteins, it’s possible to create viruses that have an affinity for a variety of materials.

In this case, the authors started with a modified virus, where a protein that forms the sides of the filament has an affinity for iron phosphate. By combining the virus/iron phosphate mix with a coating of conductive silver, the authors were able to use it as an anode in a standard lithium battery. This combination performed reasonably well, but not as well as existing commercial solutions, so the authors went back to the drawing board.

They concluded that, although the virus created useful structures on the fine scale, the resulting material lacked a larger-scale organization that would help increase the electric contacts in the battery. To provide this, the authors turned to another material that’s been making waves in the world of nanotechnology: carbon nanotubes.

To build a higher order structure with carbon nanotubes, they had to link the virus up to them. So they selected a protein that resides at one end of the viral filament, randomly mutated it, and then screened for versions that stuck to nanotubes. They got several, and focused on two that had different affinities for the nanotubes; these differences allowed them to determine how important the virus-nanotube interactions were for battery performance.

Using a mixture in which the carbon nanotubes contributed only five percent of the mass increased the performance of the batteries by about 20 percent, and provided even larger improvements at higher discharge rates. The new electrode also tripled the energy density compared to one made with a normal virus. A form of the virus with lower affinity for the nanotubes produced an intermediate value, showing that the interactions were essential for this improved performance. In all cases, the material showed very little change in capacity after multiple recharge cycles.

The authors were able to demonstrate a functional 3V battery that is able to power a small LED, as shown above.

As far as I can tell, this new development is complementary with the fast-charge technology described last month; that paper focused on the charge storage material, while this involved a new electrode structure. So, it should be possible to combine the two approaches. Given that the labs involved appear to be collaborating, I’d be surprised if work in that area isn’t already underway.

The research team has been examining how to improve the kind of rechargeable batteries that are almost omnipresent in today’s portable devices.

These lithium-ion batteries give portability to mobile phones, mp3 players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers. However, Li-ion batteries suffer from degradation particularly when they get too hot or too cold and ultimately lose the capacity to be fully recharged.

The problem of the slow degradation of Li-ion batteries is generally due to the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase film that increases the batteries internal resistance and prevents a full recharge. Researchers have suggested using silicon in the composition of the negative electrode material in Li-ion batteries to improve charge capacity.

However, this material leads to even faster capacity loss as it repeatedly alloys and then de-alloys during charge-discharge cycles.

Shengyang’s Hui-Ming Cheng and colleagues have turned to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to help them use silicon (Si) as the battery anode but avoid the problem of large volume change during alloying and de-alloying.

Carbon nanotubes resemble rolled-up sheets of hexagonal chicken wire with a carbon atom at the crossover points of the wires and the wires themselves being the bonds between carbon atoms, and they can be up to a millimeter long but mere nanometers in diameter.

Hui-Ming Chengs team grew carbon nanotubes on the surface of tiny particles of silicon using a technique described as chemical vapour deposition, in which a carbon-containing vapour decomposes and then condenses on the surface of the silicon particles forming nanoscopic tubes.

The group then coated these particles with carbon released from sugar at a high temperature in a vacuum. A separate batch of silicon particles produced using sugar but without the CNTs was also prepared.

In a 20-cycle test-run, the researchers found that the sugar-coated silicon-carbon-nanotube material achieve a discharge capacity of 727 milliamp hours per gram. Without carbon nanotubes, the charge capacity had dropped to 363 mAh per gram.

The study will be published in the Inderscience publication – International Journal of Nanomanufacturing. (ANI)

This new technology carbon nanotube, will greatly increasing the surface area of electrodes and the ability to store energy.

Now the new CNT battery will allowing the devices to retain the power and longevity advantages, while storing about as much energy as the batteries used in hybrids.

The amount of energy CNT battery can hold is related to the surface area and conductivity of their electrodes. Using carbon nanotubes increased the surface area by about 50,000 square centimeters, compared with 2,000 square centimeters using the carbon in a commercial ultracapacitor today. The highly pure carbon nanotubes are also extremely conductive, which will increase power output over existing ultracapacitors, the researchers say.

The CNT technology will find applications beyond hybrids, too. CNT batteries will allow laptops and cell phones to be charged in a minute. And unlike laptop batteries, which start losing their ability to hold a charge after a year or two, they could still be going strong long after the device is obsolete. “Theoretically, there’s no process that would cause the CNT battery to need to be replaced.

The reduction and oxidation reactions that occur at the electrodes of batteries produce a flow of electrons that generate and store energy. Conventional graphite electrodes can reversibly store one lithium ion for every six carbon atoms. To investigate the storage capacity of carbon nanotubes, researchers first created bundles of the single-walled straws. They then shortened the tubes and opened their ends by immersing them in strong acids.

Subsequent tests of their energy-holding potential, conducted using electrochemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, revealed an electrical storage capacity approximately double that of graphite. In explanation, the scientists note that the tubes’ open ends facilitated the diffusion of lithium atoms into their interiors. Indeed, the tiny straws managed to reversibly store one charged ion for every three carbon atoms.

Paper Power from Israel makes a flexible battery printed on polymers that relies on zinc as an electrolyte. It sells it to the cosmetics industry. Japan Inc. also has trotted out a lot of prototypes. Still, these things haven’t gone commercial so any advance is welcome.

As an added bonus, the RPI device can deliver power over a long period of time, like a battery, or lots of power in a short burst, like a capacitor.

It’s essentially a regular piece of paper, but it’s made in a very intelligent way, said Robert Linhardt, the Ann and John H. Broadbent ‘59 Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering at Rensselaer, in a prepared statement.

Carbon nanotubes have been the celebrity of the material science circuit for the past decade or so. Among their other attributes, nanotubes conduct electricity more efficiently than metal. They are also flexible, although stronger than steel. Right now, they are somewhat expensive, but mass manufacturing will drop the price. The only element is carbon, after all.

Conceivably, these paper batteries could be stacked up in a device to give it power. They could be used to insert electronic computers into luggage tags or greeting cards or into larger devices.

But it is a long road. Battery technology, and the adoption by equipment makers, takes a long time. But that technology is final here our new CNT carbon nanotube battery is ready for production with huge potental for the electric car industry. Based on test results our batteries will deliver 350-380 miles between charges and will charge in 10 minutes.

For investment opportunities in this new and exciting technology please click on the Nano Battery investment opportunity.

Lithium ion batteries have received considerable attention in applications, ranging from portable electronics to electric vehicles, due to their superior energy density over other rechargeable battery technologies. However, the societal demands for lighter, thinner, and higher capacity lithium ion batteries necessitate ongoing research for novel materials with improved properties over that of state-of-the-art. Such an effort requires a concerted development of both electrodes and electrolyte to improve battery capacity, cycle life, and charge-discharge rates while maintaining the highest degree of safety available.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a candidate material for use in lithium ion batteries due to their unique set of electrochemical and mechanical properties. The incorporation of CNTs as a conductive additive at a lower weight loading than conventional carbons, like carbon black and graphite, presents a more effective strategy to establish an electrical percolation network. In addition, CNTs have the capability to be assembled into free-standing electrodes (absent of any binder or current collector) as an active lithium ion storage material or as a physical support for ultra high capacity anode materials like silicon or germanium.

The measured reversible lithium ion capacities for CNT-based anodes can exceed 1000 mAh g depending on experimental factors, which as a 3x improvement over conventional graphite anodes. The major advantage from utilizing free-standing CNT anodes is the removal of the copper current collectors which can translate into an increase in specific energy density by more than 50% for the overall battery design.

Article citation: Brian J. Landi, Energy Environ. Sci

Technical Description: The generalized element of the nanotube battery includes a polymer or silicon matrix base that is 10-20 µm thick, to which is fixed nanotubes having a length of 2-15 µm, an inner diameter of 10 nm to 4 µm, and an outer diameter of 20 nm to 5 µm. The nanotubes may be made from metals and/or metal oxides such as nickel, copper, tantalum, gold, titanium oxide, etc. A conducting layer is deposited on the matrix and in contact with exteriors of the nanotubes, but it is applied so that the interiors of the nanotubes remain open (i.e., free of the conducting layer so as to be accessible to being filled with chemicals). The conducting layer may be connected so as to form a cathode or anode electrode. The nanotubes are filled with energy-storing and energy-discharging chemicals such as oxides and hydroxides of nickel, cadmium, silver, zinc, and lithium (and compositions thereof). The energy-storing and energy-discharging chemicals fill 50-80% of the volume of each of the nanotubes.

The structure generalized above, which may serve as either an anode or cathode battery layer, is repeated in anode and cathode layers to form a battery. That is, the battery includes (i) a cathode layer, including a cathode matrix, nanotubes fixed thereto filled with a cathode chemical, and a conducting layer thereon, and (ii) an anode layer, including an anode matrix, nanotubes fixed thereto filled with an anode chemical, and a conducting layer thereon. The cathode and anode layers are attached, so that their respective conducting layers do not touch, to form a battery cell. Stacking layers upon layers builds up a battery of desired thickness and voltage.

Images of the technology are shown in Figure 1.

Stage of Development: Preliminarily reduced to practice, but not tested extensively

Figure 1. (a) Ni nanotubes arranged in situ in a 10-µm-thick polymer matrix. (b) A magnified view of a Ni nanotube after etching the polymer away. (c) Initial stages of filling the nanotubes with an energy-storing/energy-discharging chemical. (d) Layering a cathode and an anode matrix on each other to form one cell, with the electrolyte in between and conducting gold coatings on the outside surfaces. (e) Layering two (or more) cells to form a battery.

The present Active Carbon Nanofiber-based (CNT-Carbon Nanotube) electrical high performance battery comprises a cell trough filled with electrolyte, a spring coil locking onto said cell trough, an anode/cathode substrate plate installed within said cell trough with its separation membrane, and positive and negative terminals installed outside the cell cap connecting to said anode/cathode substrate plate respectively. The anode substrate plate is composed of an aluminum plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer spray-coated on the aluminum plate surface. The Cathode substrate plate is composed of copper plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer spray-coated on the copper plate surface.

Active Carbon Nanofiber itself contains quantum sizing effect, micro sizing effect, surface effect, and Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling. It has a very large relative surface area, very high activity and density rate, high heat dissipation rate, and large dispersion rate. Even passing through a high current it only results in very small current concentration. As the result anode/cathode substrate plates made from said Carbon Nanofiber can pass through very large recharging and discharging electrical current without causing joule heat, nor accompanying heat effects. Therefore, it greatly reduces recharging time. This present invention well mingles speedy electrical recharging by high-physical electrical current flow, with slow electrical discharging by chemical long period low voltage low current flow.

The individual tube diameter of the Carbon Nanofiber is 20-80 nm, with the length of 200-300 nm. The actively characteristics and its relatively large surface area of said tube is most fitted into the manufacture of the anode/cathode substrate plate.

There exists a gap between each set of the substrate plate and its separation membrane, forming a capacitor-like functionality. The separation membrane is made by high-molecule, high- insulation cloth, with the size of the battery inner trough. Since this combination equals to a parallel connection between said capacitor and the battery, and this combination has both characteristics of an uf-class capacitor and a high-capacity battery, the equivalent circuit of this combination can be resembled to a parallel connection of one uf-class capacitor and one high-capacity battery.

To further analyze the equivalent circuit:

When discharging starts, the capacitor discharges first, which would fit with the high current discharging process. During extra long discharging time, the battery may discharge slowly, which would have the characteristic of long time discharging process. The total discharging current amount will equal to the sum current from the capacitor and the battery. When charging starts, the capacitor charges first, that would prevent the possible explosion from the overloaded current. The total charging current will equal to the charged current sum of the capacitor and the battery. This combination is similar to the outer circuit parallelly connected with several capacitors.

Battery has the same working voltage V as capacitors, barring interactions between the two elements. If the battery current was said to be I, the output would be E=IV. If the capacity of the capacitor was said to be C, the output would be W=½ CV2. As the result, output power sum is P=E+W. Power sum is in fact way larger than battery or one single capacitor. While the weight of the device decreased, the power ratio dramatically increased.

1. A Carbon-based Nanotube (CNT) battery comprises of a battery cell trough, electrolyte, a spring coil, an anode/cathode substrate plate and its separation membrane 40, and external positive and negative terminals. The anode substrate plate is composed of an aluminum plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer. Negative terminal plate is composed of a copper plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer. The individual tube diameter of the Carbon Nanofiber layer is 20 nm, with the length of 290 nm. There exists a gap in between each set of the substrate plate and its separation membrane 40, forming the capacity-like functionality having an equivalent effect as a parallel connection of a battery and a capacitor. The separation membrane is made by high-molecule, high-insulation cloth, with the size of the battery inner trough. Said Carbon-based Nanotube (CNT) battery is able to allow high current recharging/discharging process, with 1/17 charging time than before. The power ratio is 8 times higher than lead-based batteries. The weight of the battery is dramatically reduced.

2. A Carbon-based Nanotube (CNT) battery comprises of a battery cell trough, electrolyte, a spring coil, an anode/cathode substrate plate and its separation membrane, and external positive and negative terminals. The anode substrate plate is composed of an aluminum plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer. Negative terminal plate is composed of a copper plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer. The individual tube diameter of the Carbon Nanofiber layer is 80 nm, with the length of 300 nm. Same as embodiment 1, said Carbon-based Nanotube (CNT) battery is able to allow high current recharging/discharging process, with 1/10 charging time than before. The power ratio is 8 times higher than lead-based batteries. The weight of the battery is dramatically reduced.

3. A Carbon-based Nanotube (CNT) battery comprises of a battery cell trough, electrolyte, a spring coil, an anode/cathode substrate plate and its separation membrane, and external positive and negative terminals. The anode substrate plate is composed of an aluminum plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer. Negative terminal plate is composed of a copper plate and an active Carbon Nanofiber layer. The individual tube diameter of the Carbon Nanofiber layer is 60 nm, with the length of 200 nm. Same as embodiment 1, said Carbon-based Nanotube (CNT) battery is able to allow high current recharging/discharging process, with 1/20 charging lime than before. The power ratio is 10 times higher than lead-based batteries. The weight of the battery is dramatically reduced.