On the + SIDE


by Dr. Arthur von Wald Cresce


A lot of very smart people work in Army acquisition—scientists, technicians, engineers— and many are the best in the world at what they do. Tat work is often mind-bogglingly complex, given the nature of the systems that they help to design, develop and deliver for the benefit of the Soldier. Tey often speak in technical language that people outside their area of expertise just wouldn’t understand. But it’s important that taxpayers and members of Congress and their staffs understand it—not just because taxpayers have a need and a right to know, but also because it’s really hard to have a conversation when only one party speaks the language.


So it’s a helpful exercise to step back from the highly particular language and jargon of a technical field and try to express those highly technical ideas in language that everyone can understand. “Technically Speaking,” a regular feature in Army AL&T magazine, chal- lenges subject matter experts to do just that, using the plainest language possible.


For this issue, Army AL&T reached out to Dr. Arthur von Wald Cresce. He’s a seven-year veteran of the Electrochemistry Branch of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Adelphi, Maryland. He works on making batteries lighter, more powerful and safer. He was recently an author of a paper based on the study of “water-in-salt” lithium-ion battery technology that was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Angewandte Chemie. Here, he explains the tremendous impact that a new battery technology could have for the Army and for civilians alike.


Li ion Li (H2 O)2.5 -TFSI Water-in-Salt


A WISE CHOICE Batteries using WiSE are safer and can eliminate the heavy, complicated packs Soldiers have to carry that have built-in fire protection and temperature control. (Images courtesy of ARL)


74 Army AL&T Magazine July-September 2016


Lithium-ion bat teries pack a lot of energy but can catch fire or explode. Scientists at the Army Research Laboratory have found something that can stabilize them: water in salt.


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