Polymeric Environmentally Degradable Batteries

The U.S. Navy has identified the need for batteries that contain less hazardous chemicals within the electrochemical cell. Ideally, the battery should meet or exceed current voltage, ampere-hour and discharge ratings and should be benign if disposed of in a marine environment. Foster-Miller proposes to develop polymeric environmentally degradable batteries using one of three strategies to combine conductivity and biodegradability in one material system. Our technical approach fuses together our expertise in energy storage devices, biodegradable polymers, and polymer chemistry. In Phase I we will identify candidate materials for each of the three approaches, then assess the feasibility of each approach, taking into account the conductive and degradation properties of the selected materials and the ease of material synthesis. Based on these results, we will perform a risk assessment of the three approaches, and develop a replacement strategy for the substitution of our materials into a battery system. The ultimate goal of this program is to develop a polymeric environmentally degradable battery that can function as a replacement for today's primary (single-use) batteries.