Description: Imperia Batteries, a division of Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), will develop and demonstrate a high energy density (>300Wh/kg) rechargeable lithium-ion battery capable of operating across the wide temperature range (-230 °C to 120 °C) necessary to support lunar/Mars surface missions. Imperia will leverage directly applied ceramic separator technologies, a custom low volatility electrolyte as well as a MOF-based composite separator to achieve the wide temperature range and a high capacity silicon anode material to achieve the target energy density. Additionally, Imperia will partner with UCI to perform in situ X-ray computed tomography imaging in order to characterize physical changes within the cells at extreme temperatures. During Phase I, Imperia will design cells and energy modules for the targeted NASA application, perform high fidelity thermal modelling to assess the ability of the cell design to accomplish program goals, as well as construct cells incorporating the target technologies to demonstrate their energy density and cycle-life at extreme temperatures. In the Phase II, Imperia will prototype the energy module and expand validation activities to ensure form, fit, and function. Successful completion of these efforts will demonstrate the readiness of the technology for further scale-up and demonstrations.

Benefits: The proposed cell and module designs could be utilized in all NASA battery applications, with an initial market of small space vehicles. In particular, any mission or application that requires increased gravimetric and volumetric energy density over a wide temperature range could use the proposed technology. Imperia's proposed designs enable safe, stable cycling with higher energy and power density. Applications include EVA suits, landers, rovers, habitats, vehicle power, and power for payloads. The initial market for the proposed technology is aerospace applications where space is limited and battery volumetric energy density is critical. Beyond these applications, the technology would also be well suited to powering consumer electronics. In general, the proposed technology could be used in applications requiring a wide operating temperature and the available space is volume-limited.