New Separator Materials for Lithium-Ion and Lithium Primary Batteries Operating in Extreme Environments

Abstract

Lithium-ion battery technology is now pervasive in all areas and at all scales of energy storage, including consumer electronics, automotive applications and grid level storage. Traditionally limited to operation under terrestrial conditions, these limits of lithium-ion technology are being expanded to encompass operation under more extreme conditions, including aerospace applications. These scenarios require the consideration of new cell components, including electrolytes, cell designs and separators. This talk will focus on the development of new separator materials, targeted for operation in high radiation environments, often encountered in space missions. Conventional polyethyelene/polypropylene based separators have been evaluated for their electrical, chemical and mechanical performance. High doses of radiation have been shown to compromise the mechanical performance of these conventional separators. New aramid based separators are under development to address these limitations, and results from this development and testing will be reported. It is anticipated these separator materials may find application in lithium-ion battery cells used in other types of extreme environments. The work described here was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and supported by the Europa Lander Pre-Project.