A High Power Battery Based on Insertion Electrodes

40297 November 6, 1996 EIC Laboratories, Inc. Widespread use of electric vehicles will depend on rechargeable batteries with high power and energy and long cycle life. This project will develop a high power rechargeable battery composed of Li insertion electrodes and a polymer electrolyte with a room temperature conductivity of ~3.5 x 10-3 S/cm. Its power output will be maximized with the use of thin electrolyte membranes. Thin electrodes will be fabricated from micron-sized materials which undergo little or no structural change during Li insertion and extraction, and the battery will be assembled in the bipolar configuration. The anode material will be chosen to be free of passivation from the deposition of electrolyte reduction products and will provide long cycle life for the battery. When fully developed, the battery will have a specific energy of 50-70 Wh/Kg, a specific power of 500-1000 W/Kg, and a cycle life exceeding 2000 cycles at full depths of discharge and charge. Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: Potential commercial applications of the battery include portable consumer products such as hand-held tools, radios, computers, camcorders, telephones and pagers. Other applications include electric vehicle propulsion, space probes, and robotics.