LIQUID METAL ELECTRODES IN SECONDARY BATTERIES

Among the liquid metals that might be considered for use as electrode materials in high-performance secondary (electrically rechargeable) batteries, lithium and sodium show the greatest promise because of their low equivalent weight, electronegativity, resistivity, and polarization. Much of the early work on molten alkali metals in electrochemical cells was directed toward the development of thermally regenerative cells for the direct conversion of heat to electrical energy. The more recent work, however, has been aimed at the use of these metals in high-performance secondary batteries for electric automobiles or load leveling in electric utility systems. Most of the earlier work on cells having liquid lithium negative electrodes employed chlorine, sulfur, or other strongly electronegative materials as the positive electrode, with a molten-salt electrolyte. However, the present effort is directed mainly toward cells with solid lithium alloy (e.g., Li--Al, Li--Si) negative electrodes and metal sulfide positive electrodes. The current research and development work on sodium-electrode batteries involves a liquid sodium electrode; a solid, ion-conducting electrolyte; and a liquid sulfur or metal chloride positive electrode. Both types of systems show promise for the electric automobile and load-leveling applications. 4 tables. (ERA citation 01:023423)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • International conference on liquefied metal technology in energy production, Champion, Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA), 3 May 1976.
• Corporate Authors:

  Argonne National Laboratory

  9700 South Cass Avenue
  Argonne, IL  United States  60439

  Energy Research and Development Administration

  20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Steunenberg, R K
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Pagination: 9 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Electric batteries; Electric vehicles; Electrodes; Energy storage systems; Lithium batteries; Lithium chloride; Lithium compounds; Lithium sulfur batteries; Metals; Off peak periods; Sodium; Sodium sulfur batteries
• Old TRIS Terms: Metal-gas batteries; Metal-metal batteries; Metal-nonmetal batteries
• Subject Areas: Energy; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00146723
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Contract Numbers: W-31-109-eng-38
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 16 1977 12:00AM