Hisashi Tsukamoto

Performance of Lithium Primary Cell Using a Hybrid Positive Electrode of LiV3O8 and CFx

Carbon monofluoride, CFx, has a very high theoretical specific capacity as a cathode material . The drawback of CFx is that the material is an electrical insulator and thus Li/CFx cell cannot perform well under high discharge rates and low temperature. Quallion invested a hybrid electrode of LiV3O8 (LVO) and CFx for the improvement of performance at high rates and at low temperatures. LiV3O8 is a well known rechargeable positive electrode material and demonstrates high rate capabilities . Quallion intended to increase the rate capabilities and low temperature performance of CFx chemistry by mixing it with a high rate cathode material, LiV3O8. Moreover, the higher potential of Li1+xV3O8 (0≤x ≤3) can serve to eliminate the initial voltage drops observed in Li/CFx cells.

Characteristics of Quallion's Lithium Ion Cells for the Aerospace Application

Rechargeable batteries that are presently in use in space missions include: Silver-Zinc (Ag-Zn), Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel-Hydrogen (Ni-H2), and more recently, LithiumIon (Li-Ion) batteries. In space applications, Li-Ion batteries offer significant mass and volume advantages (threeto four-fold) compared to standard Ni-Cd and Ni-H2 batteries. To address this need, Quallion LLC has developed custom true prismatic Li Ion cells for use in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) & Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) applications: a 15Ah cell (QL015KA) and a 72Ah cell (QL075KA). In addition to using Quallion’s patented long life Li-Ion chemistry, these cells are also Zero-VoltTM enabled, allowing for battery recovery in loss of spacecraft attitude and lower maintenance before launching.