CAREER: Fast-Charging Energy Storage Devices Enabled by Modulating Internal Electric Field of Heterostructure

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。快速充电能力作为储能设备的关键功能之一，引起了广泛的兴趣。它有望扩大或加快其在许多领域的应用，特别是用于快速充电的电动汽车，以取代内燃机汽车，以及稳定来自风能和波能等固有间歇性的可再生能源的能量储存。然而，常见的储能设备，如电池，在快速充电条件下表现出严重的退化。本职业项目旨在开发一种实用的方法来开发快速充电储能器件，通过在电极中引入内部电场来改善电极动力学和器件性能。该项目将主办训练营，培训农村初中和高中教师开发科学课程，使他们能够提供丰富的课堂活动和讲座。此外，该项目将涉及代表不足的学生进行与科学和工程相关的项目，特别是美洲原住民、女性和第一代大学生。该职业项目的研究目标是开发一种新型的电极异质结构，使储能设备的快速充电能力比最先进的研究研究提高10倍以上。在初步研究的基础上，中心假设是在异质界面上产生的内部电场可以加速离子的传输，通过降低激活能来增强电极的动力学，从而改善快速充电条件下的性能。它有望解决这一挑战，并从根本上提高异质结构的电场与由此产生的储能设备级别的快速充电性能之间的相关性。对这些多学科领域的主要贡献在于几个方面。首先，我们将对异质结构的局部电场对扩散系数和电极动力学的影响有一个基本的了解。还将创建一个模拟模型，以与实验工作相结合。其次，从电极的材料属性到设备的快速充电功能的知识空白将被填补。第三，在最先进的研究中，传统的纳米结构工程方法具有复杂和高成本的制造过程，不同于传统的纳米结构工程方法，在电极中引入异质结构提供了一种有效、安全、方便和变革性的方法，显著增强了电荷转移，并有望解决现有储能设备的最大问题之一--充电时间长。这项基础性研究还将通过调整设备中的电子结构，为解决其他能源设备中的问题打开一扇新的大门。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Fast-charging capability, as one of the key features of energy storage devices, has drawn extensive interest. It holds great promise to expand or accelerate their applications in many areas, especially for fast-charging electric vehicles to replace internal combustion engine vehicles, as well as stabilizing energy storage from renewable energy sources that are inherently intermittent such as wind and wave energy. However, common energy storage devices, such as batteries, have exhibited severe degradation under fast charging conditions. This Career project is to develop a practical method to develop fast-charging energy storage devices by introducing an internal electric field in the electrode to improve the electrode kinetics and the device performance. The project will host Bootcamp to train rural middle and high school teachers in developing science curricula, equipping them to deliver enriching classroom activities and lectures. Moreover, the project will involve underrepresented students performing science and engineering related projects, especially Native Americans, women, and first-generation college students.The research objective of this Career project aims to develop a novel heterostructure in the electrode to improve the fast-charging capability of energy storage devices by more than 10 times compared with state-of-the-art research studies. Based on the preliminary studies, the central hypothesis is that an internal electric field, generated on the heterointerfaces can accelerate ion transport, enhance electrode kinetics by lowering the energy of activation, and hence improve the performance under fast-charging conditions. It is expected to address this challenge and fundamentally advance the correlation between the electric field of the heterostructure, and the resulting fast-charging performance at the energy storage device level. The major contributions to those multidisciplinary fields lie in several aspects. First, a fundamental understanding will be generated on the effect of the local electric field of the heterostructure on the diffusion coefficient and electrode kinetics. A simulation model will also be created to be integrated with experimental efforts. Second, a knowledge gap will be filled from the material properties of the electrode to the fast-charging functionality of the devices. Third, distinct from conventional nanostructure engineering approaches in state-of-the-art research studies, which have a complex and high-cost fabrication process, introducing a heterostructure in the electrode provides an effective, safe, facile, and transformative approach that remarkably enhances the charge transfer and holds great promise to resolve one of the biggest issues, “long charging time,” of existing energy storage devices. The fundamental study will also open a new door to resolving issues in other energy devices by modulating the electronic structures in the devices.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.