PFI-TT: Polymer coatings for High-Energy Lithium Batteries

该创新-技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发能够满足大规模使用所需的成本，安全和性能标准的可充电锂金属电池（LMB）。使用锂金属箔作为电能存储方法的可再充电电池长期以来受到关注，因为它们为电能的能量密集存储提供了轻质平台，以满足消费者对更轻、更小和更强大的便携式设备的需求。LMB的商业可用性也将代表电气化运输和电网存储部门的改进，因为对于给定的尺寸，这些电池提供的存储容量是当前最先进的锂离子技术的2 - 5倍。作为推动商业利益的一步，该项目将开发，评估和展示各种尺寸的可充电锂电池，并将探索其可制造性和市场准入要求。拟议的项目将开发可用作金属锂阳极界面涂层（界面）的交联离子传导聚合物膜。已知Li金属在电池再充电期间形成粗糙/树枝状沉积物的倾向是LMB商业化的关键障碍。在多次充电-放电循环期间，枝晶在整个电极间空间中生长和增殖，当它们桥接电极以使电池短路时，最终导致灾难性的电池故障。该项目的研究将在Li电极上创建交联聚合物涂层，主要研究者的初步研究表明，该涂层提供了多种强大的策略，用于在低和高离子电流下阻止树枝状电沉积。在低电流下，这样的界面通过保护Li金属免受与电解质组分的寄生反应而防止枝晶形成，这促进了快速且均匀的界面离子传输，使得能够实现更均匀的沉积。在高电流下，交联聚合物界面赋予液体电解质粘弹性，这通过阻止称为电对流的流体动力学不稳定性来防止枝晶生长。为了创造可扩展的工艺来制造抗枝晶的聚合物涂覆的Li电极，所提出的研究将调查结构、力学该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is the development of rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) able to meet the cost, safety, and performance criteria required for large-scale use. Rechargeable batteries that use lithium metal foil as the electrical energy storage method are of longstanding interest because they provide lightweight platforms for energy-dense storage of electricity to meet consumer demands for portable devices that are lighter, smaller, and more powerful. Commercial availability of LMBs would also represent an improvement for the electrified transportation and grid storage sectors because for a given size, these batteries offer 2 - 5 times more storage capacity than current state-of-the art lithium-ion technology. As a step towards driving commercial interest, this project will develop, evaluate, and demonstrate rechargeable lithium batteries in various sizes, and will explore their manufacturability and market entry requirements. The proposed project will develop cross-linked, ion-conducting polymer membranes that can be applied as interfacial coatings (interphases) on the metallic lithium anodes. It is known that the propensity of Li metal to form rough/dendritic deposits during battery recharge is a key barrier to commercialization of LMBs. During multiple charge-discharge cycles, the dendrites grow and proliferate throughout the inter-electrode space, ultimately causing catastrophic battery failure when they bridge the electrodes to short-circuit the battery. Research in the project will create cross-linked polymer coatings on Li electrodes, which preliminary studies by the Principal Investigator show provide multiple powerful strategies for arresting dendritic electrodeposition at both low and high ionic currents. At low currents, such interphases prevent dendrite formation by protecting Li metal against parasitic reactions with electrolyte components, which facilitates fast and uniform interfacial ion transport, enabling more uniform deposition. At high currents, cross-linked polymer interphases impart viscoelasticity to a liquid electrolyte, which prevent dendrite growth by arresting the hydrodynamic instability known as electroconvection. With the specific aim of creating scalable processes for fabricating dendrite-resistant, polymer-coated Li electrodes, the research proposed will investigate how changes in structure, mechanics, and transport properties induced by coating chemistry influence the reversibility of Li electrodeposition processes.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.