. has received a $750,000 contract from the U.S. Air Force for research on an innovative nano-material-enabled power system for use in small to micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Specifically, ADA will create a high performance, cost effective and easy-to-manufacture lithium-ion battery that meets the power generation and storage requirements of military UAS. The Phase II research will be performed in collaboration with SouthWest NanoTechnologies and a major lithium-ion battery manufacturer.
Military UAS have the potential for use in a variety of indoor and outdoor missions and, therefore, must be highly mobile and portable. Furthermore, many of the possible uses for UAS require significant endurance. Current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries are not capable of providing sufficient energy while remaining within the military’s size constraints. As a result, significant advancements in lithium-ion battery energy and power density are required to enable UAS to execute their intended missions.
During Phase I research, ADA made significant progress in the development of advanced nano-composite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries that possess substantially greater energy and power density, cycle life and safety as compared to current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries.
ADA’s Phase II research will focus on establishing electrode synthesis protocols and relevant-scale electrode processes. This programme will culminate in the design, production and demonstration of a full-scale prototype lithium-ion battery for integration into a military UAS.
ADA Technologies, Inc. is a research, development, and commercialization company that specializes in creating and converting innovative technologies to commercial successes. ADA’s technology successes include the creation of three spin-off companies: Advanced Distributed Sensor Systems, Inc., Novinda Corp., and Pronghorn Technologies, LLC. Headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, ADA has received more than 180 research grants totalling more than $50 million.