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

该项目贡献了与基于微生物纳米机器的制造工艺相关的新知识，用于制造高性能锂硫电池。这种潜在的可扩展和环境友好的过程的新奇是使用微生物纳米机器来消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。含硫纳米颗粒由硫化物氧化细菌通过收获环境或工业硫化物污染物而产生。纳米纤维素膜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。这项研究的成果将对未来的高性能电池技术产生重大影响，从而造福美国经济和社会。这种融合的研究涉及生物化学，材料科学和电化学。其多学科方法培训未来的先进制造业劳动力，促进妇女和代表性不足的群体的参与，并对STEM教育产生积极影响。要发展高性能锂硫电池，必须解决可溶性多硫化锂穿梭等问题。这就需要生产硫阴极纳米结构的制造工艺，它可以物理捕获和化学结合这些多硫化物，以及功能化的电池隔板作为第二个屏障来关闭穿梭路径。在自然界中，硫化物氧化细菌可以将硫化物污染物氧化成元素硫纳米颗粒并将其储存在体内。还有一些细菌通过收获农业副产品来生产高质量的纳米纤维素膜，适合作为电池隔膜。该项目研究了两个过程;培养硫化物氧化细菌以生产用于硫阴极的含硫纳米颗粒，以及细菌纤维素发酵过程沿着其离子改性作为电池隔膜。当组合时，这些组件协同工作，以解决锂硫电池技术所面临的多硫化物穿梭和其他问题。研究内容包括多硫化物穿梭阻滞机理的研究、工艺开发、纳米结构控制和剪裁、材料表征和电池性能测试。他们共同推进了通过可扩展的纳米制造过程使用微生物纳米机器制造高性能锂硫电池来产生合理设计的纳米结构的理解。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审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。

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.