HIGH-TEMPERATURE ELECTROCHEMICAL DISCHARGES OF LITHIUM COPPER-OXIDE CELLS USING SOLID ELECTROLYTES

At temperatures of 530-550-degrees-C, lithium alloy-copper oxide cells with solid sulphate electrolytes can be discharged at current densiti es of 100 mA cm-2. The open-circuit voltages were about 2.5 V (versus 24 wt% lithium-aluminium alloy) and the initial on-load voltages were about 2.3 V, significantly higher than 1.5 V (versus lithium) found in ambient temperature lithium-copper oxide cells. However the voltage f ell to about 1.5 V after about 1/3 Faraday (g atom copper)-1 has been withdrawn. This may be due to the formation of lithium copper oxide Li Cu3O3 as the high temperature discharge product.