PFI-TT: Biomimetic Aramid Separators for Long-Lifetime Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project will be to address the key technological challenges of commercialization of lithium sulfur batteries, a promising solution for a new generation of electric vehicles (EVs). Improving the extended battery capacity would increase driving range and reduce the cost. We will develop a material that is an important element of the battery, using methods derived from studying materials like Kevlar(TM). The material design process will include both new experimental techniques and novel computational methods that can be used to test batteries made by various manufacturers for many different EVs. An important part of this project will be the education of a new generation of entrepreneurs among graduate and undergraduate students.The proposed project will address major issues in lithium sulfur batteries, a potential solution for high-capacity, high-discharge rate charge storage devices but currently limited by short cycle life due to the growth of dendrites and undesirable anode-to-cathode transport of lithium polysulfides. Resolution of these problems requires a new material combining ion-selective properties with exceptional robustness. This project will utilize the structural design of cartilage known for an exceptional combination of mechanical and transport properties to engineer new ion-conducting membranes with the required properties. The team shall computationally recreate cartilage-like nanofiber networks and synthesize them with the desired parameters based on aramid nanofibers derived from Kevlar(TM) fabric. These aramid nanofiber composites can potentially serve as separators in batteries, enabling up to 80% extension of their charge-discharge cycles. The new type of separators will be tested for prevention of dendrite growth and spontaneous diffusion of the polysulfides. Special attention will be given to the development of scalable roll-to-roll processing of the aramid nanofibers separators and their implementation in high-capacity batteries.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.