NICKEL OXIDE/HYDROGEN MULTILAYER BIPOLAR BATTERY DEVELOPMENT FOR PULSED POWER DEVELOPMENT

SPAACE-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS WILL REQUIRE SOURCES OF PULSED POWER TO OPERATE PROSPECTIVE DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS. POWER MUST BE AVAILABLE INSTANTANEOUSLY AND SEQUENTIAL POWER PULSES MUST HAVE MINIMAL INTERPULSE DELAYS. IN PRINCIPLE, AN ELECTROCHEMICAL POWER SOURCE CAN PROVIDE POWER AT A MUCH LOWER WEIGHT THAN ALTERNATIVE MAGNETIC OR ELECTRIC FIELD DEVICES (CAPACITORS OR INDUCTORS). HOWEVER, ADVANCES MUST BE MADE IN HIGH RATE THIN FILM ELECTRODE MATERIALS AND BATTERY DESIGN IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE BATTERIES OPTIMIZED FOR HIGH POWER DENSITY IN THE PULSED MODE OF OPERATION. IN PHASE I, THE ELECTROCHEMICAL CAPACITIES UNDER PULSED CONDITIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED FOR TWO PROMISING MATERIALS: (1) LANI(5) WHICH ACTS AS A HYDROGEN STORAGE ANODE WITH HIGH HYDROGEN DIFFUSION RATES, AND (2) A HYDRATED NICKEL OXIDE CATHODE WITH OPTIMIZED MIXED IONIC AND ELECTRONIC CONDUCTIVITY. THE ELECTRODES COMBINE TO FORM A HIGHLY REVERSIBLE NICKEL OXIDE/HYDROGEN (HYDRIDE) BATTERY COUPLE. AS THIN FILMS PREPARED BY SPUTTERING UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE ELECTRODES WILL BE CAPABLE OF >100 SEQUENTIAL PULSES OF 10 TO THE MINUS 3 SEC DURATION, BEFORE RECHARGE, EACH PULSE WITH A POWER DENSITY OF >10 TO THE 3RD POWER W/CUBIC CENTIMETERS. FULL MULTILAYER BIPOLAR BATTERIES OF 10 TO THE 5TH POWER W/KG PULSE OR GREATER COULD BE CONSTRUCTED BASED ON THE PERFORMANCE.