FAST-CHARGE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY DEMONSTRATION FOR SMALL UNMANNED AIR SYSTEMS UTILIZING SI/SIOx ANODE AND HIGH-PERFORMING ANODE COMPONENTS

The US Army is faced with the challenge of sourcing lithium-ion batteries capable of rapidly charging at 10 C (equivalent to 6 minutes) for over 1000 continuous cycles at 3C discharge while maintaining over 80% capacity. Traditional lithium-ion batteries on the market employ graphite anodes, which fall short of meeting these fast-charge requirements. One potential solution lies in utilizing silicon anodes, renowned for their high specific energies. However, these silicon anodes also experience significant volume fluctuations during rapid charging, presenting an obstacle and an opportunity to further develop the material and showcase improvements in Phase I of the STTR program. Our proposed technical approach involves a Si/SiOx anode with high silicon content exceeding 75wt%. The innovation lies in combining the sturdy Si/SiOx core-shell structure with superior anode material components: an advanced crosslinked polyacrylic acid binder and cutting-edge electrolyte. This groundbreaking solution can potentially decrease the anode's volume fluctuations by 80%, thereby meeting the fast-charging specifications set by the Army.