SOLID STATE BATTERY INCORPORATED — Department of Defense STTR Phase I: AFX20D-TCSO1

Description

This will be accomplished using SSB’s CSPE lithium battery that has 15% higher power density, is smaller, and has a 20% weight reduction over other lithium batteries that use a liquid electrolyte. CSPE performance remains stable in extreme conditions of 0% to 100% humidity and temperature from -40o C to 100o C. There are several areas that could be evaluated. In the case of small, hand- launched drones, the goal would be to design CSPE batteries that provide more power available to function and the ability to fly longer. Batteries for Silent vehicles would be able to travel faster and further. Other gear such as radios and laser-based instruments’ operations would also be enhanced. Performance is also enhanced by the fact that SSB’s CSPE lithium battery can be constructed to form fit any piece of equipment without compromising performance. Instead of a piece of Special Operations (SO) gear being built to accommodate the battery, the battery can be built to accommodate the gear. SSB’s CSPE lithium batteries, safety and reliability will also be profoundly enhanced. SSB’s CSPE lithium batteries eliminate the production of flammable gases, thus eliminating fire and explosion hazards. This is especially important in an operational environment where batteries are exposed to live fire, shrapnel, and being struck on rocks or other hard objects. SSB’s CSPE construction of lithium batteries significantly minimizes the formation of dendrites that often cause conventional liquid electrolyte batteries to short out and fail after repeated charging and discharging cycles. As ions are exchanged between the anode and cathode over several charge and discharge cycles, a growth branches out that can cause the battery to fail or catch fire. Dendrites were found in the batteries related to the Boeing 787 battery fires that happened in 2014. SSB would work with units of AFSOC to apply its CSPE lithium battery design to enhance the performance, reliability, and versatility of AFSOC equipment that relies upon battery power. These specially designed batteries would be manufactured in the U.S. Manufacturing of SSB’s CSPE lithium battery is both faster and cleaner, making it less expensive and eco-friendly. Being manufactured in the U.S. removes dependency on foreign manufacturers. SSB will also leverage this Phase I SBIR to apply our designer polymer electrolytes in Li-S batteries for higher energy density in Phase II execution. The use of a solid polymer electrolyte will restrain the polysulfide shuttle process, improve the cycling lifetime, and allow for manufacturing of a more advanced CSPE lithium battery. SSB’s focus on polymer electrolytes is driven in part by the experience that our key personnel have with low-cost manufacturing of polymer materials. SSB is confident that only CSPE polymers can achieve high energy density, thereby yielding a significant cost advantage to its federal and commercial customers.