SBIR Phase I: Ultra-thick lithium-ion electrodes for efficient and low-cost manufacturing

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is developing ultra-thick lithium-ion electrodes to reduce the production cost and enhance the manufacturability of advanced lithium-ion batteries. The manufacturing approach in use today for lithium-ion batteries uses an expensive process for depositing delicate, sub-millimeter electrode films, making the advanced chemistry cost-prohibitive in many applications. This proposal is for the development of engineered-porosity electrodes that enable high volume lithium-ion battery production with simpler deposition methods. Major cost savings can be achieved in both cell material costs and manufacturing capital investment. This project will study the role of composite electrode composition, pore structure, total porosity, and electrode thickness, in building robust commercial-scale electrodes. Understanding the interplay of these engineering variables will result in the laboratory production of large-format lithium-ion battery cells meeting the power and lifetime requirements for near-term commercial deployment. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to develop low-cost manufacturing processes that will disrupt the cost curve of lithium-ion battery production, enabling widespread adoption in large, price-sensitive markets. Furthermore, successful efforts will advance the science of thick electrode architectures and promote structure-based engineering approaches to lithium-ion electrodes that complement current work on advanced materials. Lowering the manufactured cost of lithium-ion cells opens up new opportunities in markets, which include segments of existing deep-cycle lead-acid battery markets, totaling $1.4B, and emerging applications in grid-level distributed energy storage, with $7B of potential in the US alone. In lead-acid replacement applications, this technology will reduce opportunities for lead to reach landfills. In emerging applications on the grid, economical, long-life batteries can help build a more flexible electrical distribution network and enable increased renewable energy integration. As this technology is chemistry-agnostic, it will also be able to exploit future improvements in lithium-ion chemistry. This flexible platform of energy, labor, and capital efficient production will contribute greatly to the American advanced battery manufacturing base.