Conjugated Polymer Binders for Lithium and Sodium-Ion Batteries

用于锂和钠离子电池的共轭聚合物粘合剂

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05386
• 负责人: Kuss, Christian
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=747960
• 关键词: Conjugated; Polymer; Binders; Lithium; Sodium

With the rise of global temperatures, the transition of the energy economy from a fossil fuels basis to renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Fossil fuels are convenient, because they can be easily transported, and converted to the required form of energy locally and immediately. Renewable energy sources, on the other hand, produce electricity when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, without regard for consumer requirements. Moreover, high-power renewable energy is hardly mobile. Cheap rechargeable batteries can help by storing energy in definable small packages, and store and release energy as required by the consumer. In this way, they make renewable energy accessible for mobile applications (e.g. electric cars) and increase the implementable renewable energy portion in existing electric grids. However, at the moment, rechargeable batteries are still quite expensive, which raises the price of renewable energy implementation. The technology of choice, Li-ion batteries, are commonly fabricated with materials that include Lithium, Cobalt and Nickel, which are expensive metals. Li-ion battery fabrication is further a costly process that has to be performed under completely dry and clean atmosphere and it uses expensive and environmentally hazardous organic solvents. The proposed research program targets battery cost, performance and sustainability by exploring new materials that can aid the full utilization of energy-storing active materials. Within the current funding period, my team and I will explore binders that are electronically conducting and good adhesives in typical Li- and Na-ion batteries. These binders serve to hold active material particles together, and connect them electronically to the current collector. The proposed research will design and investigate electronically conducting binders, explore their application in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, and illustrate the microscopic mechanisms by which electronically conducting binders improve the performance of batteries. In doing so, the program will support the training of 3 MSc and 2 PhD students. The outcome will impact battery cost, performance and sustainability in several ways. Firstly, these binders are designed to be water processable. By overcoming the use of costly, toxic organic solvents, this reduces processing costs and environmental impact. Secondly, they will make large capacity materials accessible by accommodating larger volume changes of the charge-storing material. This increases charge storage capacity of the battery. Finally, the proposed binders can help the realization of the much cheaper Na-ion battery technology. Beyond the current funding cycle, this knowledge will be applied to alternative battery chemistries that have the potential to hugely improve battery performance, but currently suffer from low cycle life.

随着全球气温上升，能源经济从化石燃料向可再生能源的转变变得越来越紧迫。化石燃料很方便，因为它们可以轻松运输，并可以在当地立即转化为所需的能源形式。另一方面，可再生能源在阳光明媚或有风吹拂时发电，而不考虑消费者的需求。此外，大功率可再生能源很难移动。廉价的可充电电池可以通过在可定义的小封装中存储能量，并根据消费者的需要存储和释放能量来提供帮助。通过这种方式，它们使移动应用（例如电动汽车）可以使用可再生能源，并增加现有电网中可实施的可再生能源部分。然而，目前可充电电池仍然相当昂贵，这提高了可再生能源的实施成本。所选择的技术是锂离子电池，通常采用锂、钴和镍等昂贵金属材料制成。此外，锂离子电池的制造是一个成本高昂的过程，必须在完全干燥和清洁的气氛下进行，并且使用昂贵且对环境有害的有机溶剂。拟议的研究计划通过探索有助于充分利用储能活性材料的新材料来瞄准电池成本、性能和可持续性。在当前的资助期内，我和我的团队将探索典型锂离子和钠离子电池中的电子导电粘合剂和良好粘合剂。这些粘合剂用于将活性材料颗粒固定在一起，并将它们以电子方式连接到集流体。该研究将设计和研究电子导电粘合剂，探索其在锂离子和钠离子电池中的应用，并阐明电子导电粘合剂改善电池性能的微观机制。为此，该计划将支持培养 3 名硕士生和 2 名博士生。结果将从多个方面影响电池成本、性能和可持续性。首先，这些粘合剂被设计为可水处理。通过克服昂贵的有毒有机溶剂的使用，可以降低加工成本和环境影响。其次，它们将通过适应电荷存储材料的较大体积变化来制造大容量材料。这增加了电池的电荷存储容量。最后，所提出的粘合剂可以帮助实现更便宜的钠离子电池技术。除了当前的融资周期之外，这些知识将应用于替代电池化学物质，这些化学物质有可能极大提高电池性能，但目前循环寿命较低。