High Specific Capacity Thermal Battery Cathodes LiCu(2)O(2) and LiCu(3)O(3) Prepared by a Simple Solid Phase Sintering

The thermal battery has been designed to be active at high temperature to satisfy storage life and large capacity for storage and emergency power. The development of thermal battery with high specific energy requires that the cathode has high thermal stability and excellent conductivity. Here, the semiconductor material Li–Cu–O compounds LiCu(2)O(2) and LiCu(3)O(3) are synthesized by a simple solid-phase sintering technique, which is simpler than the traditional synthesis process. The thermal decomposition temperatures are 680°C and above 900°C, respectively. This work first applies the Li–Cu–O compounds to the thermal battery. With a cutoff voltage of 1.5 V, the specific capacities of LiCu(2)O(2) and LiCu(3)O(3) are 423 and 332 mA h g(−1). Both the decomposition temperature and specific capacity are higher than in the commercial FeS(2) and CoS(2), especially LiCu(2)O(2). This work affords an alternative of the cathode materials for high specific capacity thermal battery.