CAREER: Safe, High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries Through a Fundamental Investigation of Thermal Transport in Electrochemical Materials and Interfaces

职业：通过电化学材料和界面热传输的基础研究来实现安全、高性能的锂离子电池

• 批准号: 1554183
• 负责人: Ankur Jain
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Arlington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-03-01 至 2022-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1554183&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Safe; Performance; Li; Ion

This project describes an integrated research and education plan for measuring and enhancing thermal transport through key materials and material interfaces in electrochemical energy storage devices such as a Li-ion cell (battery). Li-ion cells offer excellent energy density and electrochemical performance in multiple applications, including electric vehicles. However, overheating due to poor thermal conduction is a well-known technological barrier, which directly impedes performance and results in severe safety concerns, as shown in recent incidents of fire in aircraft and car battery packs. There is an urgent need to identify and alleviate the fundamental material-level root cause of poor thermal behavior of Li-ion cells. This can potentially transform Li-ion cell performance and safety, but is also particularly challenging due to the highly coupled nature of thermal and electrochemical transport in a Li-ion cell over multiple length scales, and due to the importance of preserving electrochemical performance while improving thermal transport. This work will lay the foundation of microscale thermal engineering of electrochemical energy storage materials for current and future devices. Experimental and theoretical research methods developed in this work will be applicable to several other related engineering systems, such as super-capacitors. Education and outreach initiatives will address learning challenges among undergraduate students, particularly non-traditional "commuter" students and those from under-represented groups.This proposal addresses scientifically and technologically relevant problems related to poor thermal transport in Li-ion cells, which is a major impediment to performance and safety. A unique test platform capable of in situ, material-level thermal and electrochemical measurements in real time on an operating Li-ion micro-cell will be built. This interdisciplinary research will, for the first time, measure and enhance thermal transport in materials and material interfaces in Li-metal and solid state electrochemical devices through interfacial chemical bridging and microstructural changes. These research thrusts will quantify the nature of microstructure-property-function relationships for key Li-ion materials. Improved cell-level thermal performance due to thermal enhancement of rate-limiting processes will directly result in safe and high performance batteries that will transform the nature of energy conversion, transportation and electronics through applications that are simply not possible with present batteries.

该项目描述了一个综合的研究和教育计划，用于测量和增强通过电化学储能设备（如锂离子电池）中的关键材料和材料界面的热传输。锂离子电池在包括电动汽车在内的多种应用中提供出色的能量密度和电化学性能。然而，由于热传导不良而导致的过热是众所周知的技术障碍，它直接阻碍性能并导致严重的安全问题，如最近飞机和汽车电池组的火灾事件所示。迫切需要识别和缓解锂离子电池热性能差的基本材料水平根本原因。这可能会改变锂离子电池的性能和安全性，但由于锂离子电池在多个长度尺度上的热传输和电化学传输的高度耦合性质，以及由于在改善热传输的同时保持电化学性能的重要性，这也特别具有挑战性。本研究为电化学储能材料的微尺度热工程研究奠定了基础。本研究所开发的实验和理论研究方法也适用于其他相关的工程系统，如超级电容器。教育和推广活动将解决本科生的学习挑战，特别是非传统的“通勤”学生和来自代表性不足群体的学生。该提案解决了与锂离子电池热传输不良有关的科学和技术相关问题，这是性能和安全的主要障碍。将建立一个独特的测试平台，能够在现场，材料级的热和电化学测量在真实的时间上运行的锂离子微电池。这项跨学科研究将首次通过界面化学桥接和微观结构变化来测量和增强锂金属和固态电化学设备中材料和材料界面的热传输。这些研究重点将量化关键锂离子材料的微观结构-性能-功能关系的性质。由于速率限制过程的热增强而改善的电池级热性能将直接导致安全和高性能的电池，其将通过现有电池根本不可能的应用改变能量转换、运输和电子的性质。