Primary batteries lithium/water

Lead Telluride. Lead teUuride [1314-91 -6] PbTe, forms white cubic crystals, mol wt 334.79, sp gr 8.16, and has a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale. It is very slightly soluble in water, melts at 917°C, and is prepared by melting lead and tellurium together. Lead teUuride has semiconductive and photoconductive properties. It is used in pyrometry, in heat-sensing instmments such as bolometers and infrared spectroscopes (see Infrared technology AND RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY), and in thermoelectric elements to convert heat directly to electricity (33,34,83). Lead teUuride is also used in catalysts for oxygen reduction in fuel ceUs (qv) (84), as cathodes in primary batteries with lithium anodes (85), in electrical contacts for vacuum switches (86), in lead-ion selective electrodes (87), in tunable lasers (qv) (88), and in thermistors (89). 

W. R. Momyer and E. L. Litauer, "Development of a Lithium Water—Air Primary Battery," Proceedings of the 15th Intersocietal Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Seatde, Wash., Aug. 1980. 

Because the reaction of lithium with water quickly generates hydrogen and heat, and because a lithium battery can spark if shorted, there is extreme risk for fire, flames, and violent deflagration. Violent deflagration simply means that the destructive pressure wave generated when a battery vents has a slight rise-time when plotted versus time. A pressure wave from an explosion, on the other hand, has zero rise-time. It should be noted that to the common observer, under abusive circumstances, lithium primary batteries may certainly look like explosive. 

Solid Electrolytes. A protected Lithium anode is under development for both primary and secondary batteries that promise much larger capacities. This strategy is illustrated by the Li/seawater primary battery in which a Lithium anode is immersed in a nonaqueous electrolyte, the anolyte, that is separated from seawater contacting a cathode current collector by a Li -ion solid-electrolyte separator. The seawater acts as a liquid cathode. Except for contact with a negative post, the Lithium anode and its anolyte are sealed in a compartment containing a Li -ion solid-electrolyte wall that interfaces the seawater. The anolyte is chemically stable to both the Lithium and the solid electrolyte the solid electrolyte must not be reduced on contact with the Li anode. Moreover, eiflier the seal or the compartment must be compliant to allow for the change in volume of the Lithium on discharge. The seawater is not ccmtained in an open cell, it is contained within a battery in a closed cell. The LF ions from the anode react with water at the cathode current collector ... 

SAFT Corporation of America, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 10020, New York also, 107 Beaver Court, Lockeysville, Maryland Primary batteries, zinc-alkaline, zinc-alkaline manganese dioxide, carbon-zinc Leclanche, lithium types (lithium-lead bismuthate, lithium-silver chromate) secondary batteries, nickel-cadmium, iithium-copper oxyphosphate, lithium-thionyl chloride, zinc-air, thermal-cells, water-activated batteries. 

The metallic salts of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid can be prepared by reaction of the acid with the corresponding hydroxide or carbonate or by reaction of sulfonyl fluoride with the corresponding hydroxide. The salts are hydroscopic but can be dehydrated at 100°C under vacuum. The sodium salt has a melting point of 248°C and decomposes at 425°C. The lithium salt of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid [33454-82-9] CF SO Li, commonly called lithium triflate, is used as a battery electrolyte in primary lithium batteries because solutions of it exhibit high electrical conductivity, and because of the compound s low toxicity and excellent chemical stabiUty. It melts at 423°C and decomposes at 430°C. It is quite soluble in polar organic solvents and water. Table 2 shows the electrical conductivities of lithium triflate in comparison with other lithium electrolytes which are much more toxic (24). 

To the contrary, however, many of the nonaqueous solvents possess lower polarity and thus form electrolyte solutions with a lower conductivity, but have a wider electrochemical window than that of water. - nonaqueous solvents have a wide application in - lithium batteries (both primary and secondary). 

With a density about half of water, lithium is with the lowest density of all solids, mere 0.5 g/cm at 20 °C [1]. Lithium is widely used in aerospace, aviation, nuclear-generated power and electric battery industry. Nowadays, over 90 % of the world s primary lithium is produced by molten salt electrolysis [2 4]. But the development of molten salt electrolysis will be effected by some factors cost, environment, and so on. Vacuum thermal reduction may be used extensively in future because of its low-energy consumption, high-purity and short-cycle. 

Among all of the metal-air couples, the lithium-oxygen (Li-02) couple is especially attractive because it has the highest theoretical specific energy, as was shown in Table 22.1. Primary aqueous lithium-air batteries have been used for decades in applications such as life-vest beacons the battery is activated by sea water, and the... 

Primary and secondary lithium batteries using a nonaqueous electrolyte, exhibit higher energy density than aqueous electrolyte-based batteries due to the cell potential higher than 1.23 V, the thermodynamic limitation of water at 25 °C. The excellent performances of nonaqueous lithium batteries may meet the need for high power batteries in micro-devices, portable equipment, and even electrical vehicles. 

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