A SOLVATED ELECTRON SECONDARY LITHIUM ELECTRODE FOR HIGH ENERGY DENSITY BATTERIES

TECHNICAL EFFORT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS DETERMING THE FEASIBILITY OF AN ELECTROCHEMICALLY REVERSIBLE LIQUID NEGATIVE ACTIVE MATERIAL CONSISTING OF LITHIUM DISSOLVED IN LIQUID AMMONIA TO GIVE A NOVEL SOLVATED ELECTRON SECONDARY LITHIUM ELECTRODE. CONTAINMENT OF THE ACTIVE MATERIAL FROM DIRECT CONTACT TO THE LIQUID NON-AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE IS REALIZED VIA USE OF A LITHIUM INTERCALATED ELECTRONICALLY CONDUCTING CERAMIC MEMBRANE. EMPHASIS IN THE PROGRAM WILL BE PLACED ON LIXWO2(X 1) AS THE LITHIUM INTERCALATED MATERIAL. THE APPROACH IS EXPECTED TO EXPERIMENTALLY DEMONSTRATE BOTH HIGH ELECTROCHEMICAL REVERSIBILITY AND PROVIDE AN ELECTRODE/ELECTROLYTE INTERFACE WHICH PROVIDES A MINIMUM OVERPOTENTIAL LOSS UPON INITIAL CELL DISCHARGE WHICHIS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH RUPTURE AND REMOVAL OF THE LITHIUM SELF-DISCHARGE PASSIVATING LAYER. IN THE COURSE OF THIS PROGRAM THE FOLLOWING SECONDARY LITHIUM CELLS WILL BE FABRICATED AND THEIR PRELIMINARY ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCEDETERMINED: LI,NH3/LIXWO2/2ME-THF,LIASF6/TIS2 AND LI,NH3/LIXWO2/SO2,LIGAC14,CUC12/C THE NOVEL "LIQUID" LITHIUM ELECTRODE IS EXPECTED TO PERMIT GREATER VERSATILITY IN FINALLY SELECTED BATTERY GEOMETRIES.