Manufacturing of High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Using Microbial Nanomachines

该项目为制造高性能锂硫电池的微生物纳米机器制造工艺提供了新的知识。这种具有潜在可扩展性和环境友好性的工艺的新颖之处在于使用微生物纳米机器来清除环境污染物以生产纳米级材料。该奖项支持研究硫化物氧化细菌和纤维素细菌，分别生产含硫纳米颗粒和纳米纤维素膜，用于高性能锂硫电池。含硫纳米颗粒是由硫化物氧化细菌通过收集环境或工业硫化物污染物产生的。纳米纤维素膜是由纤维素细菌通过回收某些农业或工业副产品/废物来制造的。这一研究成果将对未来高性能电池技术产生重大影响，对美国经济和社会都有好处。这一融合研究涉及生物化学、材料科学和电化学。它的多学科方法培养了未来的先进制造业劳动力，促进了女性和代表性不足群体的参与，并对STEM教育产生了积极影响。要发展高性能锂硫电池，必须解决可溶多硫化物锂穿梭等问题。这就需要生产硫阴极纳米结构的制造工艺，它可以物理地捕获和化学地结合这些多硫化物，还需要一个功能化的电池分离器作为关闭穿梭路径的第二个屏障。在自然界中，硫化物氧化细菌可以将硫化物污染物氧化成单质硫纳米颗粒，并将其储存在体内。也有细菌通过收获农业副产品来生产高质量的纳米纤维素膜，适合用作电池分离器。本项目研究两个过程；一种硫化物氧化细菌，培养用于生产用于硫阴极的含硫纳米颗粒和细菌纤维素发酵过程及其离子修饰作为电池分离器。当这些组件结合在一起时，可以协同工作，解决多硫化物穿梭和锂硫电池技术面临的其他问题。研究内容包括多硫化物穿梭延迟机理、工艺开发、纳米结构控制与裁剪、材料表征、电池性能测试等。他们共同推进了通过可扩展的纳米制造工艺，利用微生物纳米机器制造高性能锂硫电池，产生合理设计的纳米结构的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project contributes new knowledge related to a microbial nanomachine-based manufacturing process for fabricating high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. The novelty of this potentially-scalable and environmentally-friendly process is the use of microbial nanomachines that scavenge environmental pollutants to produce nanoscale materials. This award supports research to investigate sulfide oxidizing bacteria and cellulose bacteria to produce sulfur-containing nanoparticles and nanocellulose membranes, respectively, for use in high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. The sulfur-containing nanoparticles are produced by sulfide oxidizing bacteria by harvesting environmental or industrial sulfide pollutants. The nanocellulose membrane is manufactured by cellulose bacteria through recycling certain agriculture or industry byproducts/wastes. The outcome of this research greatly impacts future high-performance battery technology, which benefits the U.S. economy and society. This convergent research involves biochemistry, material science and electrochemistry. Its multi-disciplinary approach trains the future advanced manufacturing workforce, fosters participation of women and underrepresented groups, and positively impacts STEM education. The challenge of soluble lithium polysulfides shuttling and other problems must be solved to develop high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. This calls for manufacturing processes that produce a sulfur cathode nanostructure, which can physically trap and chemically bind these polysulfides, and a functionalized battery separator as a second barrier to close off the shuttling path. In nature, sulfide oxidizing bacteria can oxidize sulfide pollutants into elemental sulfur nanoparticles and store them in their bodies. There are also bacteria which produce high-quality nanocellulose membranes suitable as a battery separator by harvesting agriculture byproducts. This project studies two processes; a sulfide oxidizing bacteria cultured to produce sulfur-containing nanoparticles used in sulfur cathodes and a bacterial cellulose fermentation process along with its ionic modification as the battery separator. When combined, these components work cooperatively in solving the polysulfides shuttling and other problems faced by the lithium-sulfur battery technology. The research involves the study of polysulfides shuttling retardation mechanism, process development, nanostructure control and tailoring, material characterization, and battery performance testing. Together they advance the understanding of generating rationally-designed nanostructures via the scalable nanomanufacturing process using microbial nanomachines to manufacture high-performance lithium-sulfur 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.