Fine Powder Cathode and Separator Binder Characterization for Thermal Batteries

Fine powder thermal battery cathode materials can exhibit challenging flow properties which makes processing with automated presses difficult.Granulating these powders substantially improves flow properties and reduces the tendency for powder segregation during handling and pressing operations.The properties of Magnesium Oxide (MgO) that lead to good performance in thermal battery separators are not well understood.This leads to protracted efforts to identify replacement materials when obsolescence issues arise.The purpose of this proposal is to demonstrate a technique for granulating fine particle size cathode materials to produce a homogeneous mixture, improve flow and fill characteristics, develop quality assurance tests for powder homogeneity, and to develop a correlation between MgO characteristics and separator performance to aid in material selection.Approved for Public Release | 17-MDA-9219 (31 May 17)