NASA to use MATSI Alkaline-Air batteries on space shuttle

Business Wire, Feb 3, 1995

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 1995--MATSI Inc. announced Friday that NASA will be using the company's Alkaline-Air batteries on all space shuttle flights, beginning with the mission scheduled for launch Feb. 23.

Initially, MATSI's batteries will be used with a video camcorder, which will also be used in this summer's shuttle flights to the MIR space station. Glenn Woodruff, MATSI's president and chief executive officer said that later this year NASA will begin using MATSI batteries for other space shuttle applications, such as astronaut radios.

MATSI has been developing its Alkaline-Air batteries since 1988 under contracts with NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army. Three of these contracts were from the Federal SBIR (small business innovation research) program, which is designed to help small companies commercialize new technology.

MATSI recently completed a Phase I SBIR with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, R.I. The goal of the contract was a bench-scale test of a MATSI Alkaline-Air battery which will triple the operating time of various deep-water, unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) used by nuclear submarines on deterrent patrols.

In July, MATSI received U.S. patent 5,328,778 for its ultra-compact, light-weight, fully recyclable, single-use battery technology, which it calls Alkaline-Air. MATSI's Alkaline-Air batteries offer all of the convenience of conventional alkaline batteries, but last up to 10 times longer in high-power applications like notebook computers, video camcorders, and portable cellular telephones.

In October, the company began field tests of its battery with notebook computer users who travel frequently. These "road warriors" have averaged 35 hours per MATSI battery, more than 20 times that possible from the computer's internal battery.

Prototypes of the MATSI battery have also been tested by the Electronics and Power Sources Directorate of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Fort Monmouth, N.J. This spring MATSI will be sending sample batteries to the Army's Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM), Orlando, Fla., for testing in a soldier-training application. If the STRICOM tests are successful, Woodruff says MATSI will be in a position to save the Army up to $25 million annually on its battery purchases.

Ron Putt, vice president and chief technical officer of MATSI, said one key reason for the longevity of the company's battery is that it utilizes oxygen from the atmosphere. In a conventional alkaline battery the oxygen is supplied from manganese dioxide, which occupies at least half of the battery's weight and volume.

Another factor, according to William Delmolino, MATSI's vice president of engineering, is the patented design of the cells. Conventional alkaline cells are cylindrical, and this limits the surface area available for the reaction during discharge. MATSI's cells are flat and square, which allows for a much greater surface area for cells of a given weight or size. At high drain rates this gives Alkaline-Air a tremendous advantage.

Woodruff said the potential market for Alkaline-Air is already substantial and can only grow in the future. He believes that by 1998 there will be more than 60 million notebook computers in use worldwide, and that if only 5 percent of users opt for Alkaline-Air, and buy just one $30 battery a month, demand would total 36 million batteries, or about $1 billion in sales.

MATSI has designed its battery to be 100 percent recyclable to eliminate any adverse environmental impact, and customers will be able to return used batteries to the company for recycling.

MATSI Inc., a private Delaware corporation founded in 1988, is located at the Advanced Technology Development Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. -0-

MATSI Inc., Alkaline-Air Batteries

A Fact Sheet

What: MATSI Inc. Alkaline-Air is a patented (U.S. 5,328,778), ultra-compact, light-weight, fully recyclable, single-use battery technology. MATSI Alkaline-Air batteries offer all of the convenience of conventional, alkaline batteries, but last up to 10 times longer in high-power applications.

For the first time this allows single-use batteries to be used with notebook computers, video camcorders, and portable cellular telephones. In U.S. Army Research Laboratory and end user field tests, MATSI Alkaline-Air batteries have run notebook computers for an average of 35 hours -- about 20 times longer than the computers' internal batteries.

Enhancements now in progress will increase this to a factor of 25 times during the next year.

Who: MATSI Inc., a private Delaware corporation, was founded in 1988 and is located at the Advanced Technology Development Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

How does the MATSI battery work?: The very high energy density of MATSI's Alkaline-Air battery comes from the fact that it uses ambient oxygen as the cathode (one of the reactants). In conventional alkaline batteries, the weight and volume of the cathode material (manganese dioxide) occupies more than 50 percent of the battery.