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 can substantially improve flow properties and reduce the tendency for powder segregation during handling and pressing operations.Additionally, the properties of 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 and to improve flow and fill characteristics.Improved cathode flow properties will be demonstrated through flow characterization tests at the developmental level and processing on automated presses at the production level. Focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) characterization will be coupled with advanced porosimetry for candidate MgO binder materials to develop a correlation between MgO properties and separator performance to aid in material selection.Approved for Public Release | 18-MDA-9522 (23 Feb 18)