1. Features

The development of thermally-activated batteries (TABs) is credited to German scientist Dr. Georg Otto Erb, who during the Second World War developed these generators to supply V2 missiles with electrical energy during their mission [1] . At the time, the batteries used the heat energy released by the missile's hull to keep the electrolyte molten for the duration of the mission. After the war, this technology was brought back to the USA. In 1947, the technology was rapidly taken up and developed by the American company Catalyst Research Corp (CRC) to replace the lead/fluoroboric acid system used in artillery guns, but considered unreliable. They opted for the eutectic LiCl—KCl, with a melting point of 352°C. In 1952, Eagle Picher (Joplin, MO) began manufacturing thermal...