Springer, 2009 462 pages, $129.00 ISBN 978-0-387-76423-8

This book is an excellent introduction to the field of advanced batteries for the newcomer to the field. It will not be outdated for a long time, as it is written from the point of view of the basics. It is written from a materials science aspect and comprises 20 chapters and 462 pages.

The first four chapters cover the necessary fundamentals of thermodynamics, including phase diagrams, that are essential to an understanding of the reactions of battery materials. The next two chapters introduce the concept of nonequilibrium and the key area of insertion reactions. Chapters 7 and 8 cover the negative electrode, both carbon and metals. Chapter 9 goes into positive electrodes for lithium systems, with an emphasis on those that have been commercialized, such as LiTiS₂, LiCoO₂, and LiFePO₄. The book seems to be pretty much error free, but there is an incorrect attribution to LiCoO₂ being the first cell built in the discharged state; many of the disulfide batteries were constructed this way in the 1970s.

Chapters 10 and 11 cover the negative and positive electrode, respectively, in aqueous systems, an understanding of which is essential for flow batteries, which are covered among a hotch-potch of topics in chapter 12. The book then gets back to the fundamentals underpinning of batteries, starting off with a thorough discussion of potentials, reference electrodes, and defect equilibria. This is followed by three chapters on liquid electrolytes, solid electrolytes, and their stability windows. Chapter 17 gives a very useful description of some of the most common electrochemical methods for studying battery materials including potentiostatic, galvanostatic, and alternating current (Wechselstrom) intermittent titration techniques (PITT, GITT, and WITT), and complex impedance. The last two chapters cover very briefly (too briefly) polymers and transient behavior.

In conclusion the author states, “the major emphasis here is upon the fundamental phenomena that determine the properties of the components. . . . The objective is not to describe battery technology.” The author has succeeded in doing this, and this approach will allow the book to be useful for many years, and not become dated as many battery books do even before they are published.

As noted already there are few errors in the text, but some researchers are going to be annoyed that the sources of the figures, with a few exceptions, have not been acknowledged. I can recommend without hesitation this book to all interested in batteries, and particularly to those entering the field. It is written at a level appropriate to someone with a chemistry, physics, or materials background.

Reviewer: Stan Whittinghamof the State University of New York at Binghamton.