Rechargeable lithium polymer electrolyte batteries

Rechargeable lithium polymer electrolyte batteries have been under development for over ten years. The organic electrolyte has a low-vapor pressure and, in principle, during times of abuse, will be safe with respect to volatilization, ignition, and explosion. The electrolyte can be fabricated in the form of a thin solid film so no other separator element is required. Thus, the very thin electrolyte, combined with thin electrode structures, may allow good high rate performance and improved lithium plating morphology. The possibility of greater intrinsic safety combined with improved rate capability makes the polymer electrolyte battery system a viable candidate for high performance batteries. Advantages of such batteries are summarized. The polymer electrolyte battery is based upon thin film components that incorporate very large area electrolyte and electrode layers of about 25-250-μm thickness, such that the ohmic losses associated with the impedance of the electrolyte are minimized and the electrode kinetics are enhanced. The high energy densities for lithium systems result from the low atomic mass of Li and its high reactivity with most positive materials. Modeling studies of the energy and power capabilities as a function of battery design are discussed