I-Corps: Composite Materials Enabling Batteries with High Energy Density

I-Corps：复合材料使电池具有高能量密度

• 批准号: 1840213
• 负责人: Lorenzo Mangolini
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-07-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1840213&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Composite; Materials; Enabling; Batteries

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in the identification of the most effective strategy for the deployment of novel and improved materials for lithium-ion batteries. Our society is already experiencing the pressing need for better electrochemical energy storage technologies. These would be beneficial not only for consumer electronics devices and electric vehicles, but would also aid the transition towards renewable energy sources, bringing enormous benefits in terms of public health and reduced environmental hazards. The successful commercialization of more energy dense lithium-ion batteries represents a crucial and fundamental requirement for this vision to be realized. Unfortunately the graphite-based battery anode, while being the most widely utilized technology, is already approaching its theoretical limit. The technology at the center of this proposal overcomes the limitations of graphite while enabling a straightforward integration in the current battery production scheme. Participation in the I-Corps program will allow establishing the most effective pathway towards the commercialization of this new technology. This I-Corps project is based on a novel material that increase the storage capacity of commercial lithium-ion batteries by roughly 30%. The compound, a silicon-graphite composite powder, displays a storage capacity six times higher (1800 mA g-1) than graphite (365 mA g-1), the current anode material of choice in commercial lithium ion batteries, and is produced with an innovative proprietary fabrication method suitable for large-scale production. The composite can be used as an additive to commercial lithium-ion batteries to partially or completely substitute graphite and boost the battery performance in terms of both gravimetric and volumetric energy density. Notably, the compound it is fully compatible with the current lithium-ion battery industrial production processes, allowing for a cost-effective introduction into the manufacturing process without additional capital investments. To enable the breakthrough of this concept into the market, the current efforts are focused on the customer discovery process through the I-Corps program with the goal of identifying an ideal first customer segment.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 I-Corps 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于确定部署新型和改进的锂离子电池材料的最有效策略。我们的社会已经迫切需要更好的电化学储能技术。这些不仅有利于消费电子设备和电动汽车，而且还将有助于向可再生能源的过渡，为公众健康和减少环境危害带来巨大的好处。能量密度更高的锂离子电池的成功商业化是实现这一愿景的关键和基本要求。不幸的是，石墨基电池阳极虽然是使用最广泛的技术，但已经接近其理论极限。该提案的核心技术克服了石墨的局限性，同时能够直接集成到当前的电池生产方案中。参与 I-Corps 计划将为这项新技术的商业化建立最有效的途径。 该 I-Corps 项目基于一种新型材料，该材料可将商用锂离子电池的存储容量提高约 30%。该化合物是一种硅石墨复合粉末，其存储容量 (1800 mA g-1) 比石墨 (365 mA g-1) 高出六倍，石墨是目前商用锂离子电池首选的负极材料，并且采用适合大规模生产的创新专有制造方法生产。该复合材料可用作商用锂离子电池的添加剂，部分或完全替代石墨，并提高电池在重量和体积能量密度方面的性能。值得注意的是，该化合物与当前的锂离子电池工业生产工艺完全兼容，可以经济有效地引入制造工艺，而无需额外的资本投资。为了使这一概念在市场上取得突破，目前的工作重点是通过 I-Corps 计划进行客户发现过程，目标是确定理想的第一客户群。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。