A Novel Nanomaterial-enabled Hybrid Power System

Developments in micro/nano technologies are leading the way to a new fleet of micro air vehicle (MAV) airframes. However, the unavoidable and ultimately the mission-limiting issue for all of these new systems will be on-board power. The lightest-weight current lithium-polymer batteries don’t provide sufficient energy densities and impose a variety of operational limitations that are unacceptable for practical MAV systems. ADA Technologies, Inc. proposes to develop a novel power system that leverages recent work on ultra-high-efficiency nanomaterial electrodes and inherently safe electrolytes. Current hybrid-power systems for MAVs incorporate a high-energy device and a high-power device. The hybrid-power device proposed in this project is essentially an advanced lithium-polymer battery design able to operate in both high-power and high-energy modes with great efficiency, thus eliminating the need for separate devices. In Phase I, ADA will demonstrate the use of recently developed high-performance nanocomposite electrodes in prototype batteries that exceed the performance of current Li-ion batteries. In Phase II, the ADA team will synthesize solid-state electrolytes and combine them with nanocomposite electrodes to fabricate high-energy / high-power lithium-polymer batteries. A novel power system incorporating these new batteries will be demonstrated for advanced MAVs in the Phase II.