Air Products Grants Argonne National Laboratory External Collaboration Award
Lab Helped Prove Effectiveness of Air Products' Electrolyte Salts for Lithium-Ion Batteries
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. (September 21, 2006) - Air Products (NYSE:APD) today named Argonne National Laboratory as a recipient of its 4th annual External Collaboration Award. Air Products created the award to recognize collaborative research organizations and to demonstrate its commitment to building relationships and strengthening collaborations with external groups, and to stimulate the development of intellectual property with them.
The award recognizes the Battery Technology Department of Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division for their work in evaluating Air Products' new electrolyte salts, citing the group's understanding of the technology and needs of the lithium-ion battery industry, as well as the direction the industry is taking toward hybrid vehicles.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power everything from laptop computers to mp3 players. The lithium salt used in these batteries can be hydroscopic (absorbs water) and become corrosive if it absorbs even small amounts of moisture. Air Products' researchers believe they have developed a new family of lithium salts that can solve this problem and turned to Argonne for help in proving the lithium salts viability in lithium ion batteries.
Argonne, with almost four decades of experience in lithium battery research and development, confirmed that the salts work in lithium batteries and demonstrated that they remain non-corrosive if they become contaminated with moisture.
"The Argonne National Laboratory has played an important role in our battery electrolyte development program, and we are pleased to present them with this select annual award," said John Tao, director of Corporate Technology Partnerships for Air Products.
Air Products (NYSE:APD) serves customers in technology, energy, healthcare and industrial markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of products, services and solutions, providing atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials and chemical intermediates. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment and is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good Indices. The company has annual revenues of $8.1 billion, operations in over 30 countries, and over 20,000 employees around the globe. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com
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