Collaborative Research: Mesoscale Investigation of Microstructure-Transport Interaction of High-Capacity Electrodes for Energy Storage

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Collaborative Research: Mesoscale Investigation of Microstructure-Transport Interaction of High-Capacity Electrodes for Energy Storage1438431 - Partha P. Mukherjee (Texas A&M University), 1438683 - George J. Nelson (University of Alabama in Huntsville)Energy storage is a key enabler for vehicle electrification. The lithium-ion battery (LIB) is being considered as one of the candidates for vehicular energy storage. It is, however, critical to accelerate innovation toward improved performance, life and safety of lithium-ion batteries. One factor that needs to be addressed is increasing the drive range of electric vehicles, that is the distance the vehicle can go without having to be recharged. This requires dramatic improvement in the LIB "energy density." Nanostructured materials have spurred recent breakthroughs in high-performance electrode development, particularly with respect to energy storage capacity. For example, high-capacity anodes based on nanostructured tin alloys can achieve significant increase in battery capacity compared to conventional graphite anodes. However, these materials undergo excessive volume change when reacting with lithium, leading to dramatic changes in the electrode structure that causes deterioration of battery performance. This research aims to develop an integrated computational and experimental approach that will lead to fundamental insights into the microstructure, electrochemical and transport phenomena interactions in high-capacity LIB electrodes. Development of high-performance LIB electrodes with cyclic stability and longer life could provide a major breakthrough in energy storage technology for automotive and other applications.The goal of this work is to foster fundamental understanding of the microstructural and phase evolution mechanisms that drive performance decay in high-capacity Li-ion battery electrodes, e.g. tin-based mesoporous intermetallic anodes. In this regard, a synergistic computational and experimental investigation is planned that will focus on mesoscale transport, reaction and mechanics interplay in electrode structures. The PIs anticipate that the tomography, mesoscle modeling and electrochemical studies will have a significant impact on the development of high-capacity LIB electrodes. The tomographic data obtained and the related mesoscale models will broaden the set of 3D microstructural data for energy storage materials and related analysis tools that are currently available to the research community. The integrated education and outreach plan will bring together graduate, undergraduate and high school students, along with a strong emphasis on the participation of underrepresented and minority students. Research findings will also be integrated into curriculum development efforts. It is envisioned that this synergistic approach will have significant benefits in the broader context of clean and sustainable energy.