Performance and Safety of Lithium-Ion Polymer Pouch Cells

Lithium-ion cells, currently, provide the highest energy density and cycle life of rechargeable battery systems. Of all the available design formats for lithium-ion cells, those that are manufactured in a pouch provide a higher gravimetric energy density, compared to those in metal containers. The lithium-ion polymer cells in the pouch format perform under nominal and off-nominal conditions in a manner similar to cells in metal containers. However, the pouch design has its limitations. The pouches swell under various conditions including vacuum environments. Results of the performance and safety of lithium-ion polymer cells found in pouch designs from several manufacturers and in various environments of space are included in this paper.