STTR Phase I: Carbon-encapsulated sulfur cathodes for next generation batteries

STTR 第一阶段：用于下一代电池的碳封装硫阴极

• 批准号: 2112004
• 负责人: Kurt Stahlfeld
• 金额: $ 25.56万
• 依托单位: EVOSEER LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-01 至 2024-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2112004&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Carbon; encapsulated; sulfur

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to enable next-generation lithium battery technologies that are integral in transitioning toward increased renewable energy deployment. In particular, the project has the potential to overcome obstacles to widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption including battery capacity limitations, high battery cost, and supply chain issues. EVs currently account for a significant majority of the lithium battery market and this market share will likely increase dramatically as deployment of EVs increases in coming years. The aforementioned issues with lithium battery technologies must be addressed for EVs to reach their envisioned potential. This STTR project seeks to advance a novel process for the production of a critical battery component – the battery cathode. This STTR Phase I project proposes to advance lithium sulfide (Li-S) battery viability using a novel approach to cathode production. Lithium sulfide batteries can provide more than double the gravimetric energy density of current lithium batteries, but Li-S batteries suffer from a short cycle life due to the poor retention of polysulfide species which are formed at the cathode during cycling. If these polysulfide species are able to diffuse away from the cathode, they participate in several detrimental reactions and interactions with both the electrolyte and anode, and the battery is damaged. This project seeks to retain the sulfur and polysulfides within the cathode using encapsulation within a carbon scaffold. Specific research will include assessments of the maximum sulfur loading that can be achieved in the carbon scaffold, the extent to which the carbon scaffold can be rendered electrically conductive, construction of cathodes from the sulfur-loaded carbon scaffold, and tests of the performance of batteries constructed from these cathodes. In addition, a technoeconomic analysis of the cathode technology will be performed to assess its potential in the context of current lithium battery technology. Expected outcomes include demonstrated technical and economic viability of the cathode technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小型企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是实现下一代锂电池技术，这些技术是向增加可再生能源部署过渡的不可或缺的一部分。特别是，该项目有潜力克服障碍。电动汽车（EV）的广泛采用（包括电池容量限制、电池成本高和供应链问题）目前占据了锂电池市场的绝大多数，并且随着未来几年电动汽车部署的增加，这一市场份额可能会急剧增加。与锂讨论的问题电动汽车必须解决电池技术问题，才能发挥其预期潜力。该 STTR 项目旨在推进关键电池组件（电池阴极）的生产新工艺。该 STTR 第一阶段项目建议推进硫化锂（Li-）。 S) 电池的可行性 采用新颖的阴极生产方法，硫化锂电池可以提供比现有锂电池高一倍以上的重量能量密度，但由于锂硫电池的能量保留能力较差，因此循环寿命较短。循环过程中在阴极形成的多硫化物如果能够从阴极扩散，它们会参与一些不健康的反应以及与电解质和阳极的相互作用，并且该项目试图保留电池。使用碳支架封装阴极内的硫和多硫化物的具体研究将包括评估碳支架中可以实现的最大硫负载量，以及碳支架可以达到的程度。此外，还将对阴极技术进行技术经济分析，以评估其在当前背景下的潜力。预期成果包括阴极技术的技术和经济可行性。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。