CATHODES FOR MOLTEN SALT LITHIUM BATTERIES

MOLTEN SALT LITHIUM BATTERIES OFFER THE PROSPECT OF VERY HIGH PULSE POWER DENSITIES COUPLED WITH HIGH SPECIFIC ENERGY DENSITIES. FOR PULSE POWER APPLICATION, U.S. ARMY REQUIRES PROJECTED CURRENT DENSITIES OF HUNDREDS OF AMPERES PER SQ.CM. IN THE MILLISECOND RANGE AND TENS OF AMPERES PER SQ.CM. IN THE FRACTIONS OF SECOND. CATHODES FOR SUCH MOLTEN-SALT LITHIUM BATTERIES MUST HAVE HIGH THEORETICAL ENERGY DENSITY AND GOOD REACTION RATES. PROPOSED PHASE I PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ARE ORIENTED TOWARDS IDENTIFYING AND DEVELOPING CATHODE MATERIALS WHICH CAN OPERATE IN A RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM MOLTEN-SALT BATTERY FOR DELIVERING EXCEEDINGLY HIGH PULSE POWER LEVELS. THESE NOVEL CATHODE MATERIALS ARE EXPECTED TO YIELD OPERATING CELL VOLTAGES OF 1 VOLT HIGHER THAN THOSE FOR THE LITHIUM/METAL SULFIDE HIGH TEMPERATURE SYTEMS. PHASE I PROGRAM CONSISTS OF STUDYING ELECTROCHEMISTRY OF A VARIETY OF PROMISING CANDIDATE MATERIALS IN THE LICL-KCL MOLTEN SALTS. THE CHEMICAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL STABILITY OF THESE CATHODE MATERIALS WILL ALSO BE INVESTIGATED. CELL STUDIES WITH TWO MOST PROMISING CATHODE MATERIALS WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO ESTABLISH THE RECHARGEABILITY, DISCHARGE PULSE POWER PERFORMANCE AND CHARACTERIZATION UNDER REPETITAVE PULSING REGIMES. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROGRAM WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR A PHASE II PROGRAM IN WHICH DESIGN, FABRICATION AND TESTING OF A BATTERY PROTOTYPE IS ENVISAGED.