October 2024 - Physical Sciences Inc.

Press Release

The Imperia Batteries^® division of Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a contract from NASA to develop a next generation battery for lunar/mars surface missions.

Imperia Batteries will develop and demonstrate a high energy density (>300Wh/kg) rechargeable lithium-ion battery capable of operating across the wide temperature range (-230 °C to 120 °C) necessary to support lunar/Mars surface missions. Imperia will leverage directly applied ceramic separator technologies, a custom low volatility electrolyte as well as a MOF-based composite separator to achieve the wide temperature range and a high-capacity silicon anode material to achieve the target energy density. Additionally, Imperia will partner with a Research Institute to perform in situ X-ray computed tomography imaging in order to characterize physical changes within the cells at extreme temperatures. During Phase I, Imperia will design cells and energy modules for the targeted NASA application, perform high fidelity thermal modelling to assess the ability of the cell design to accomplish program goals, as well as construct cells incorporating the target technologies to demonstrate their energy density and cycle-life at extreme temperatures. In Phase II, Imperia will prototype the energy module and expand validation activities to ensure form, fit, and function. Successful completion of these efforts will demonstrate the readiness of the technology for further scale-up and demonstrations.

For more information contact:

Dr. Christopher Lang
Vice President, Energy Enterprises
lang@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Office: (978) 689-0003

Acknowledgement of Sponsorship: This work is supported under a contract with NASA. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.

Press Release

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army to develop quantum-based high sensitivity radio-frequency (RF) components.

PSI and their subcontract partner will develop an RF low noise amplifier (LNA) based on traveling-wave parametric amplifier (TWPA) technology. This new device will approach the fundamental quantum mechanical noise limit of an amplifier, surpassing the noise performance of current cryogenic semiconductor-based LNAs. Additionally, it will simultaneously act as a down-converting mixer, taking advantage of the nonlinear wave-mixing process inherent in TWPA operation. The device will operate over a wide bandwidth of at least several GHz, with different variants covering operation from 2 GHz to 27 GHz. We aim to extend the TWPA operating temperature from 100 mK to 4 K to allow for easier integration into cryogenic systems by taking advantage of higher-T_c superconductors. The reduced noise-temperature of our LNA will enable the detection of extremely weak RF signals due to the reduced noise contribution from the LNA.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Christopher Evans
Group Leader, Scalable Photonic Technologies
cevans@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Office: (978) 689-0003

Acknowledgement of Sponsorship: This work is supported under a contract with the U.S. Army. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.