Demonstration of Carbon Nanostructured Electrodes for High Energy Density Rechargeable Batteries

The advent of carbon nanotechnology has now made rechargeable lithium-polymer batteries that meet mission target goals for the next generation of high energy density applications possible. Experiments performed to date have exhibited reversible capacitiesof lithium-polymer batteries with carbon nanotube electrodes as high as 1000 mAh/g for ball-milled nanotubes. This is far greater than has been shown experimentally for other forms of carbon.This Phase I will investigate (1) nanostructured active electrode (anode and cathode) materials capable of meeting the high energy density or pulse power goals in a practical battery and (2) the dependence of battery performance (capacity, charge rate,voltage hysteresis) on temperature.In view of Mainstream's long-term commitment to the design and development of improved storage techniques and our past record of successful performance, we believe funding of this Phase I is warranted. The significant performance, and rechargabilitybenefits, combined with the commercial potential, lead us to believe this Phase I effort will be highly successful. This Phase I is critical because it has been designed to provide the experimental data necessary to convince the DoD community of the benefits of the proposed approach. A cost-shared Fast Track Phase II proposal will be submitted. Mainstream has along-term commercial interest in this technology and the tremendous commercial opportunity is well-understood. Independent marketing studies have confirmed a significant commercial application; the commercial electronics battery market currently producesmillions of lithium-ion batteries per month.