Sony Corporation

TOSHIRO TSUMORI and YASUAKI NAKANE—Sony Corporation, Semiconductor Development Division, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243, Japan... 

Figure 20. Construction of (A) cylindrical, (B) prismatic, and (C) polymer Li ion cells. (Reprinted with permission from a brochure by Sony Corporation).

A variety of other efforts are being made to prevent consumer products from ending up in waste-disposal systems, whether they be landfills, incinerators, or recycling centers. Many manufacturers have developed or are developing plans to have consumers return to them all or some portion of the products they sell. For example, in 2001 the Sony Corporation began to retrieve and recycle its consumer electronics, including televisions and computer monitors, in six states. 

D. Hasegawa, Y. Inagaki, H. Watanabe, and M. Sawaguchi, Recycle system for used plastic, method of reclaiming used ABS resin and reclaimed ABS resin, US Patent 7 462 648, assigned to Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP), December 9,2008. 

Fig. 7.34 Specification of the Sony Corporation lithium ion EV battery. (By permission of Sony Co.)...

Sony Corporation Research Center 134 Goudo-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 24O Japan... 

Yoshinori Hayafuji, Sony Corporation Research Center, Yokohama 240, Japan... 

For supporting the Workshop and the publication of this volume, special thanks should be expressed to the Society of Discrete Variational Xa (Japan), and to the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for providing the necessary facilities. The financial support of the Osaka Electro-Communication University, the SONY Corporation Research Center, the Hungarian National Committee for Technical Development, the Hungarian Scientific Research Foundation (OTKA), the Universitas Foundation, the Council of Debrecen City, and the Hotel Aranybika is also acknowledged. 

The first investigation of Li Co02 was carried out by Mizushima et al. in 1980," where the material was suggested as a possible positive electrode for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. In 1991 Sony Corporation commercialized the first lithium-ion battery in which lithium cobalt oxide was used as the positive electrode and graphite (carbon) as the negative electrode. Since then, LiCo02 has been the most widely used cathode material in commercial hthium-ion batteries and retains its industrial importance as a cathode material. 

S. Yamada, Y. Fujihira, H. Mori, T. Noguchi, K. Tokura, and M. Uryu, Biodegradable material for audio systems, US Patent 7576154, assigned to Sony Corporation (Tokyo, P), August 18, 2009. 

The basic concept of the currently popular lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) was developed in 1985 by Yoshino et al. from Asahi Kasei Corporation [4-6]. LIBs were first marketed by Sony Corporation in 1991, after which Sanyo Electric Company s batteries with graphite anodes were marketed in 1994 [7]. The capacity of LIBs around 1997 was more than 1.5-fold that when they were launched, and firam the point of view of battery design, increasing the capacity further was considered difficult. 

Although reports following the initial marketing of Sony Corporation s batteries focused not only on metallic lithium anodes and graphite anodes but also on the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which forms on the anode as a result of electrolyte decomposition, intentional control of SEI was not considered in sufficient depth. The concept of SEI was advocated by Peled from Tel-Aviv University and Aurbach from Bar-Ilan University [8-10]. Nevertheless, upon entering the industry in 1997, Ube Industries, Ltd. started adding small amounts of additives to the electrolyte, which allowed for the undesirable thick SEI to be controlled by deliberately causing additive decomposition in order to form a controlled thin layer (CTL). 

In 1996, Sony Corporation found that 1,4-butane sultone (24) (5-50 wt%) can be substituted for EC as a solvent [60] in 1997, Ube Industries, Ltd. discovered that the addition of small quantities of cyclic monosulfonic acid esters (sultones), such as 1,3-propane sultone (PS) (25), suppresses PC decomposition [61]. Furthermore, in 1999, researchers at Ube Industries, Ltd. found that 3-hydroxypropanesulfonic add (26), which is present as an impurity in PS, decomposes at the electrode before PS decomposition and thus adversely affects battery performance by inhibiting the formation of SEI of PS [62] and consequently developed highly pure PS containing little 3-hydroxypropanesulfonic acid (26) [62]. In the same year, Ube Industries found that the combination of small amount of PS (25) and VC (1) can be used as additives [54],... 

In 1993, Panasonic found that the cyclic sulfites such as ethylene sulfite (41) can be used as a solvent (with a volume ratio of 1/3-5/7) [72], and in 1995, Sony Corporation found that etliylene sulfite (41) can be used as an additive in small quantities [73], Subsequently, Winter et al. from the University of Munster reported these findings in a paper in 1999 [1],... 

The feasibility of using triethyl phosphate (66), whose flash point is extronely high, as a nonflammable solvent was discovered by Mitsui Chemicals and Sony Corporation in 1994 [95]. Details are presented later in the section concerning safety. 

In 1990, Sony Corporation found that the amides IV-methylpyrrolidone (72) and MAi-dimethylacetamide (73) can be used as additives in small quantities [99], and in 1995, Wilson Greatbatch Technologies found that the imides bis(Af-succinimidyl) carbonate (74) and benzyl Ai-succinimidyl carbonate (75) can be used as additives in small quantities [100]. In 1997, Fujitsu and Ube Industries, Ltd. found that Ai-hydroxysuccinimide (76) can be used as an additive in small quantities [ 101 ], and Sanyo Electric Company discovered that cyclic imides such as succinimide (77) and maleimide (78) can also be used as additives in small quantities in 1997 and 1998, respectively [102,103]. 

In 1994, Sony Corporation discovered that aUcoxybenzenes, such as 1,3,5-trime-thoxybenzene (98), 2,6-dimethoxytoluene (99), and 3,4,5-trimethoxytoluene (100), can be used as additives in small quantities [112], These compounds are called redox shuttle additives as they suppress the increase in battery voltage by consuming electric cnrrent throngh a redox process. 

Furthermore, in 1995, Sony Corporation found that halogen-containing alkoxy-benzenes, such as 2-chloro-p-xylene (101), 4-chloroanisole(102), 2,4-difluoroanisole (103), 3,5-difluoroanisole (104), and 2,6-difluoroanisole (105) can be used as additives in small qnantities [113]. 

Sato, N Noguchi, T Mori, H Fujihira, Y, US7589137, Sony Corporation, 28 Apr. 2005. 

Sony Corporation started its battery business in the mid-1970s. Its staple battery products in those days were primary ones, e.g. silver oxide, carbon zinc, alkaline manganese, and primary lithium cells. To adapt Sony s battery business to the above-mentioned trend, the development of novel rechargeable cells was a pressing necessity. 

I was engaged in the R D of novel materials for electronic equipment for almost 40 years since I joined Sony Corporation in 1966. 

Tin-based anode materials The most commercially advemced anodes in this group are Sn-Co-C composites implemented by Sony Corporation in 2(X)5 [55]. The developmenteil work is still ongoing to meiximize the capacity emd cycle life of this anode... 

Li-ion cells were commercialized by Sony Corporation in the early 1990 s. This phenomenon led to a major expansion in the application of rechargeable Li batteries for portable electronic devices. Before that, the only Li cells that were commercially available were primary cells. The driven factor of the commercial development of Li-ion cells was the utilization of carbonaceous materials as... 

Bacterial cellulose has been also explored in a series of technical applications. For instance, SONY Corporation and Ajinomoto developed an audio speaker diaphragm membrane using a compressed low thickness ( 20 pm) BC membrane, that is currently utilized in audio headphones (Figure 2.10) [4, 58]. 

---