CALCIUM AND ZINC HIGH TEMPERATURE BATTERIES USING INTERCALATION CATHODES

THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS DIRECTED TOWARDS GENERATING THE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING NECESSARY FOR EVALUATING THE VIABILITY OF CA(2+) AND ZN(2+) CONDUCTING B"-ALUMINA SOLID ELECTROLYTES FOR A NEW TYPE OF ADVANCED BATTERY SYSTEM CONTAINING EITHER ZINC OR CALCIUM AS THE ANODE AND INTERCALATION CATHODES CONSISTING OF IMMOBILE TRANSITION METAL REDOX SPECIES INCORPORATED IN A B"-ALUMINA TYPE LATTICE. THE NOMINALLY NA(+) CONDUCTING B"-ALUMINA SOLID ELECTROLYTE WILL BE ION-EXCHANGED IN MOLTEN SALTS TO GIVE SPECIFIC IONIC CONDUCTIVITY FOR THE SPECIES CA(2+) AND ZN(2+). THE ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCE AND REVERSIBILITY OF CALCIUM AND ZINC AS ANODE MATERIALS WILL BE DETERMINED USING APPROPRIATE MOLTEN SALT MEDIATING AGENTS TO THE SOLID ELECTROLYTE. BY THIS APPROACH LONG LIFE FROM THE SOLID ELECTROLYTE CAN BE ANTICIPATED. CELLS TO BE FABRICATED AND ELECTROCHEMICALLY CHARACTERIZED WILL INCLUDE: CA2SI/CAC12,CA12/CA(2+) B"-ALUMINA/CA0.83MG0.67A15.33M5017 ZN/ZNC12,ZNS04/ZN(2+) B"-ALUMINA/ZN0.83MG0.67A15.33017 WHERE M = FE(+3), CR(+3), ETC. EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON DETERMINING THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS AND COMPATIBILITY OF THE TRANSITION METAL REDOX SPECIES PRESENT IN THE INTERCALATION CATHODE WITH THE DIVALENT CONDUCTING SOLID ELECTROLYTE.