CFD RESEARCH CORPORATION — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: MDA15-027

Description

Lithium oxyhalide reserve batteries are critical for certain MDA missile systems due to their exceptional volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, wide operating temperature range, and long storage life.The current battery technology utilizes a 2-layer separator to meet the challenging requirements of materials compatibility, rapid electrolyte fill during activation, and anode-cathode catalyst short prevention.This composite separator makes battery assembly a difficult manual task, and there are concerns about continued sourcing of the individual materials.CFDRC proposes to develop a single layer separator that meets the performance and safety requirements with the added benefit of ease of handling for more automated battery assembly, increasing manufacturing yield and reducing cost.We have assembled a team with expertise in materials characterization and customization, battery performance analysis, oxyhalide battery prototyping and test, and oxyhalide battery manufacturing to provide this solution.Phase I will focus on testing candidate materials to identify the chemical composition and material microstructure that will best meet the requirements.Phase II will continue separator development with design and materials improvements as required, based on cell and battery-level testing, culminating in a separator material and design suitable for future MDA systems (EKV) and legacy systems (THAAD) utilizing oxyhalide reserve batteries.