Thermal battery based on a new, high-voltage cathodic material

The authors studied and developed a new cathodic compound for thermal batteries, based on a derivative of vanadium pentoxide and carbon. This compound presents a flat discharge plateau of 2.15 V vs LiAl (at a discharge current of 0.2 A/cm²), i.e., a gain of 400 mV with respect to FeS₂. The synthesis route of the material was studied and tested in single cell versus LiAl anodes to optimize the discharge efficiency. Discharge performances are good up to 1 A/cm². In order to get a better knowledge of its potential, and to take complete advantage of its high energy density, the optimized material was then tested in batteries of various configurations