Materials/Energy materials

Energy materials

energy

14 materials · 8 types · 2 benchmarks

What this is

Batteries, battery materials, electrolytes, solar cells and thermoelectrics.

Every spacecraft needs power. Materials differ in how much energy they store, how they cope with heat and cold, how they fail, and where their raw materials come from.

Collections

Grades of one kind compared side by side.

Lithium: Lithium metal and the materials that make lithium-ion cells work, compared side by side.

Types

Pick a type to see its materials.

Types
Type	Materials	Ranking
Li-ion cathodes	6	Compare li-ion cathodes
Li-ion anodes	2	Compare li-ion anodes
Lithium metal	1	—
Li-ion chemistries	none yet	—
Electrolytes	4	—
Solid-state batteries	none yet	—
Solar cells	none yet	—
Thermoelectrics	1	—

What matters

The measurements we use to compare energy materials. Each one has a standard test and a direction: is higher or lower better?

What matters
Measurement	Better when	How it is tested
Displacement damage toleranceDamage from atoms knocked out of place	higher	Proton and neutron tests
Minimum service temperatureColdest before it turns brittle or stops working	lower	Glass transition, ductile-to-brittle tests
Cold capacity retentionBattery energy left when cold	higher	Lab test at stated °C
Solar cell power after radiationPower left after the mission dose	higher	ECSS-E-ST-20-08
Theoretical specific capacityCharge the material can store per gram, from its chemistry	higher	Faraday calculation from the formula
Reversible specific capacity (measured)Charge actually delivered per gram in a test cell	higher	Half-cell test at stated rate and voltage window
Average voltageTypical working voltage against lithium	depends on the use	Half-cell test
DensityMass per volume, which sets volumetric energy	depends on the use	Crystallographic or tap density

Benchmarks

Li-ion cathode benchmark. Battery cathode materials compared on capacity, voltage, density, heat tolerance and cycle life.
Li-ion anode benchmark. Battery anode materials compared on the same measurements.