Lithium-iron sulfide battery

Zinc-air cells are much cheaper than lithium cells, despite the benefits of zinc-air fuel cells or battery packs. Some EVs and HEVs manufacturers are investigating other battery packs, such as lithium-iron-sulfide, lithium-manganese, and nickel-zinc battery packs as shown in Figure 4.6. 

The lithium/iron sulfide rechargeable battery system is another high-temperature system and must be operated above 400°C so that the salt mixture (LiCl-KCl) used as an electrolyte remains molten (see Chapter 41). The negative electrode is lithium, which is alloyed with aluminum or silicon, and the positive electrode can be either iron monosulfide or iron disulfide. No development is being performed on these technologies at this time because room temperature battery systems are showing comparable performance. 

Besides the two battery systems, a third high temperature system has been under development for a long time lithium aluminum iron sulfide (LiAl/FeS2) [1], This... 

Because of the less advanced status of the lithium aluminum/iron sulfide battery, only the ZEBRA battery and the Na/S battery are described in this section. 

FIGURE 10.9 Construction of the lithium iron sulfide cell. (Courtesy of Eveready Battery Co., St Louis, MO. With permission.)... 

Kaun T. D., Kilsdonk D. J., in Lithium/Iron Sulfide Batteries for Electric Vehicle Propulsion and Other Applications, Progress Report for October 1978-September 1980, Argonne National Laboratory Report A.N.L. 80-128/1981, p. 156. 

Among high-temperature batteries, the lithium-iron sulfide systems are reasonably safe, although there are some hazards connected with the 450-500°C operating temperature. The sodium-sulfur-system impact failure hazards are primarily connected with the possibility of SO2 emissions, sodium oxide dust, and fires resulting from sodium exposure to moisture. 

It was established in the early da of lithium rechargeable batteries that transition metal sulfides, such as titanium or mol3djdenum sulfides, did cycle well and these were used in lithium metal rechargeable batteries. For a low-cost S5 tem, iron sulfide was preferred and first studies using a room-temperature secondary Li-FeS2 battery were performed in the 1970s. ... 

Askew, B. A., and R. Holland A High Rate Primary Lithium-Sulfur Battery, Power Sources 4 (1972). Birt, D., C. Feltham, G. Hazzard, and L. Pearce The Electrochemical Characteristics of Iron Sulfide and Immobilized Salt Electrolytes, Power Sources 7 (1978). 

Iron has conventionally been used as the anode or negative active material in batteries but iron compounds have also been used as the cathode or positive active material. The use of iron sulfides (FeS and FeS2) in lithium primary and in high temperature batteries is covered in Chapters 14 and 41. 

The main high-temperature battery systems are the sodium/beta and lithium/iron sulfide systems ... 

TABLE 41.1 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Bipolar Lithium/iron Sulfide CeUs and Batteries... 

The main interest in high temperature batteries such as lithium/iron sulfide, sodium/ sulfur, and sodium/nickel chloride is for electric vehicle applications due to their high specific power and energy possibilities. The replacement of the liquid lithium electrode with a solid LiAl alloy alleviated many of the safety concerns that plagued the other two systems, which are based on a liquid sodium electrode. In 1991, the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) selected the bipolar molten-salt LiAl/FeS2 battery to be developed as... 

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