Electrolyte effects in Li(Si)/FeS(sub 2) thermal batteries

摘要

The most common electrochemical couple for thermally activated (thermal) batteries is the Li-alloy/FeS(sub 2) system. The most common Li-alloys used for anodes are 20% Li-80% Al and 44% Li-56% Si (by weight); liquid Li immobilized with iron powder has also been used. The standard electrolyte that has been used in thermal batteries over the years is the LiCl-KCl eutectic that melts at 352 C. The LiCl-LiBr-LiF eutectic had the best rate and power characteristics. This electrolyte melts at 436 C and shows very low polarization because of the absence of Li+ gradients common with the LiCl-KCl eutectic. The low-melting electrolytes examined included a KBr-LiBr-LiCl eutectic (melting at 321 C), a LiBr-KBr-LiF eutectic (melting at 313 C), and a CsBr-LiBr-KBr eutectic (melting at 238 C). The CsBr-based salt had poor conductivity and was not studied further. The LiBr-KBr-LiF eutectic outperformed the KBr-LiBr-LiCl eutectic and was selected for more extensive testing. Because of their lower melting points and larger liquidi relative to the LiCl-KCl eutectic, the low-melting electrolytes are prime candidates for long-life applications (i.e., for activated lives of one hour or more). This paper will detail the relative performance of the Li(Si)/FeS(sub 2) couple using primarily the LiCl-KCl (standard) eutectic, the LiCl-LiBr-LiF (all-Li) eutectic, and the LiBr-KBr-LiF (low-melting) eutectic electrolytes. Most of the tests were conducted with 5-cell batteries; validation tests were also carried out with appropriate full-sized batteries.