Engineered Nanoscale Materials for use in Thermal Batteries

Thermal batteries provide a short burst of high power to various components in smart munitions, such as missiles launched from UAVs and other systems. There is a need for thermal batteries that have higher energy density and power density, and longer run time than the state of the art batteries, which use micron-scale particles in the cathode, anode and electrolyte. In the Phase I program, we demonstrated the advantages of using engineered nanoscale particles as the cathode. High purity, nanosized iron disulfide was produced using both a wet chemical method and a solid state process. Cell level testing showed a greater than 50% decrease in impedance when nanoparticles were used, implying that substantially higher power densities are possible in the nanomaterial-enabled thermal battery. Nearly 20 percent increase in run time was also observed. The goal of the Phase II program is to advance the Technology Readiness Level to 5 by scaling up the cathode nanoparticle synthesis process, and fabricating and testing prototype thermal batteries of specifications currently used by the US Navy.Additionally, the structure and composition of the cathode will be optimized to maximize performance. The proposed effort is collaboration with a leading US manufacturer of thermal batteries. The technology will be transitioned into specific Navy applications in Phase III by working in collaboration with prime contractors who manufacture the missiles.