Advanced Battery Technology

Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to produce nanoscale solid-state, non-woven fabric batteries. This fabric battery technology can be applied to wide range of non-aqueous primary and secondary lithium battery chemistries, including both ambient and thermalbatteries. The mechanical flexibility of these batteries will allow the end user to easily customize the form factor to fit a specific device. The use of a solid polymer or glassy electrolyte will eliminate the liquid electrolyte phase, making thesebatteries more robust and minimizing the need for complex containment systems that add mass and reduce the overall specific energy of the system. Employment of a solid state electrolyte will be made possible by reducing electrolyte diffusion distances bya factor of 20 or more compared to commercial primary and secondary lithium batteries. The interpenetrating fibers of the fabric will produce a three-dimensional architecture that will result in significantly lower concentration polarization and very highdrain rate capability compared to conventional planar electrodes. The result will be a robust battery system that is extremely flexible with respect to form factor, has a competitive specific energy (100 to 150 Wh/kg) and a superior specific power (>1000W/kg) compared to conventional ambient and thermal lithium battery systems. The unique battery design proposed by PSI will have a highly flexible form factor, superior specific power and competitive specific energy compared to existing lithium batterysystems. This battery design is not system specific and can be applied to a variety of lithium battery chemistries; therefore, a huge potential exists for both military and civilian applications. These batteries will find application in militarycommunications, detection and weapon systems as well as consumer devices such as mobile telephones, laptop computers, personal data assistants, portable entertainment systems and portable power tools.