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

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。快速充电能力作为储能设备的关键特性之一，引起了人们的广泛关注。它有望扩大或加速其在许多领域的应用，特别是用于替代内燃机汽车的快速充电电动汽车，以及风能和波浪能等固有间歇性的可再生能源的稳定储能。然而，普通的能量存储设备，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，通过在电极中引入内部电场来开发快速充电储能设备，以改善电极动力学和设备性能。该项目将举办训练营，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，该项目将涉及代表性不足的学生执行科学和工程相关项目，特别是美国原住民，女性和第一代大学生。本Career项目的研究目标是在电极中开发一种新型异质结构，使储能装置的快速充电能力比目前的研究成果提高10倍以上。根据初步研究，中心假设是异质界面上产生的内部电场可以加速离子传输，通过降低激活能来增强电极动力学，从而提高快速充电条件下的性能。有望解决这一挑战，并从根本上推进异质结构电场与储能设备级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体现在几个方面。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认识。还将创建一个仿真模型，与实验工作相结合。其次，将填补从电极的材料特性到设备的快速充电功能的知识空白。第三，与先进的纳米结构工程方法不同，传统的纳米结构工程方法具有复杂和高成本的制造过程，在电极中引入异质结构提供了一种有效、安全、简便和变革的方法，可以显着增强电荷转移，并有望解决现有储能设备的最大问题之一，“长充电时间”。这一基础研究也将为通过调制器件中的电子结构来解决其他能源器件中的问题打开一扇新的大门。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 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.