NON-AQUEOUS LITHIUM BATTERY WITH A SILVER VANADATE CATHODE

• Main Authors: JOHN M. GREENWOOD, PAMELA P. KEISTER, RALPH T. MEAD, STEVEN J. EBEL, MICHAEL A. ZELINSKY, ESTER S. TAKEUCHI, BARRY C. MUFFOLETTO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.03.1991
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROTHERAPY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MAGNETOTHERAPY; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY

A solid cathode liquid organic electrolyte lithium cell for delivering high current pulses comprising a casing (12), a cathode structure (40) in the casing comprising a plurality of plates (40a-40h) in spaced apart relation, a lithium anode (42) comprising a plurality of anode sections interposed between the cathode plates (40a-40h), a non-aqueous liquid organic electrolyte (190) comprising the combination of a lithium salt and an organic solvent in the casing (12) operatively contacting the anode (42) and the cathode (40), an electrical connection provided to the anode and an electrical connection provided to the cathode. In accordance with one aspect of the invention the cathode (40) includes as active material AgxV2Oy where x is in the range from about 0.5 to about 2.0 and y is in the range from about 4.5 to about 6.0 which advantageously has high volumetric capacity and high rate capability with the result that the cell of the present invention delivers high capacity, shows good current pulsing behaviour at various levels of discharge, and has a sloping discharge curve enabling end-of-life to be predicted. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the anode (42) comprises a continuous elongated lithium element (54, 62, 64) enclosed within a separator (68) and folded into a plurality of sections interposed between the cathode plates (40a-40h) each of which individually is enclosed within separator material (50b) thereby enhancing the reliability of the cell. The cathode plates (40a-40h) can be formed by an entirely dry pressing procedure thereby enhancing the shelf life of the resulting plates or, alternatively, the procedure can include dropwise addition of liquid electrolyte to the cathode mixture prior to pressing to enhance the performance and rate capability of the cell. The cell of the present invention finds advantageous use as a power source for an implantable cardiac defibrillator.