Center of All-Solid-State Batteries for a Clean Energy Society

第一部分，非技术性减少温室气体排放对于应对气候变化的巨大挑战至关重要。可再生能源集成和车辆电气化是减少温室气体排放的关键，需要安全和低成本的大规模储能。该PIRE团队将进行基础研究，以推进全固态电池（ASSB）的科学和技术，该电池有可能通过提供下一代储能设备来改变可充电电池，用于车辆电气化和可再生能源的整合，这些储能设备在电池单元和电池组级别具有更高的比能量，与锂离子电池（LIB）相比，循环寿命更长，成本更低，安全性上级。预期的经济效益（与LIB相比，能源基础上的电池组成本降低了50%）沿着前所未有的电化学性能（比能量增加了150%）和本质安全性将迎来汽车电气化和可再生能源集成的新时代，以实现清洁能源的可持续社会。通过与来自欧洲7个机构的国际合作伙伴合作，研究人员将实现在ASSB中推进科学和技术的挑战性目标。通过与工业合作伙伴的合作，研究团队将加快从实验室发现到商业产品的技术转化。此外，他们还将与芝加哥的几所少数民族服务的小学、初中和高中合作，激励代表性不足的少数民族学生追求STEM教育和职业。通过与芝加哥市合作，研究人员将推出一项劳动力发展计划，为职业中期员工和代表性不足的少数族裔提供短期课程和研讨会，这可以加速劳动力向清洁能源，电动汽车和储能行业的过渡。第二部分，技术为了解决ASSB面临的多方面挑战，PI已经组建了一个多学科团队，并将与具有协同专业知识的国际合作伙伴，特别是波尔图大学的Braga教授，葡萄牙-发明了一种在室温下具有负离子导电性的新型固体锂玻璃电解质（10-2 S/cm）、宽的电化学窗口（对Li金属稳定且抗氧化高达8 V（相对于Li/Li+））和低的玻璃化转变温度（~ 75 oC）。该团队将研究和整合传统和非传统的电荷存储机制，以实现具有本质安全性的特定能量，高功率，长循环寿命ASSB。将首次研究在阳极和阴极均由Li-玻璃电解质实现的Li电镀/剥离的无阳极电池。这些锂电镀/剥离电池的电化学原理和那些无阳极电池与锂电镀/剥离在阳极和脱/嵌入在阴极将被建立提供指导方针ASSB的设计与前所未有的比能量。原位和非原位表征将进行解开控制ASSB的界面性能的潜在机制。密度泛函理论计算，分子动力学和连续模型将被使用和集成，以解决从电极/电解质界面到单个粒子，多个粒子，并最终到细胞水平的响应的多长度尺度建模。从这些建模工作中开发的原子水平，亚连续谱水平和细胞水平的理解将有助于对电极和Li-玻璃电解质之间的化学/电化学稳定性，机械接触，Li电镀/剥离，Li枝晶形成，离子传输和ASSB的降解物理学的基本理解。通过这些科学进步，该PIRE项目将为未来大规模设计、合成和制造高性能ASSB奠定坚实的基础。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，被认为值得支持。

Part 1, non-technicalReducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical to address the grand challenge of climate change. Renewable energy integration and vehicle electrification, keys to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, require energy storage at scale with safety and low cost. This PIRE team will conduct fundamental research to advance science and technology of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), which have the potential to transform rechargeable batteries for vehicle electrification and integration of renewable energy by offering next-generation energy storage devices with higher specific energy at both battery-cell and battery-pack levels, longer cycle life, lower cost and superior safety compared to Li-ion batteries (LIBs). The anticipated economic benefit (reduction in the cost of battery packs on the energy base by 50% over LIBs) along with unprecedented electrochemical performance (150% increase in the specific energy) and intrinsic safety will usher in a new era of vehicle electrification and renewable energy integration for a sustainable society with clean energy. By working with international partners from 7 institutions in Europe, the researchers will achieve the challenging goal of advancing science and technology in ASSBs. Through collaboration with industrial partners, the research team will expedite technology translation from laboratory discovery to commercial products. Further, they will collaborate with several minority-serving elementary, middle and high schools in Chicago to inspire underrepresented minority students to pursue STEM education and career. By working with City of Chicago, the researchers will launch a workforce development program, offering short courses and workshops to mid-career employees and underrepresented minorities, which can accelerate transition of the workforce into clean energy, electric vehicle, and energy storage industries.Part 2, technicalTo address the multi-faceted challenges faced by ASSBs, the PIs have assembled a multi-disciplinary team and will work with international partners with synergistic expertise, particularly with Prof. Braga at University of Porto, Portugal – the inventor of a new solid Li-glass electrolyte with ultrahigh ionic conductivity at room temperature ( 10-2 S/cm), wide electrochemical window (stable with Li metal and resistant to oxidation up to 8 V vs. Li/Li+), and low glass transition temperature (~75oC). The team will investigate and integrate conventional and unconventional charge storage mechanisms to achieve ultrahigh specific energy, high power, long cycle life ASSBs with intrinsic safety. Anode-free cells with Li plating/stripping at both anode and cathode enabled by Li-glass electrolyte will be studied for the first time. The electrochemical principles for such Li plating/stripping cells and those for anode-free cells with Li plating/stripping at the anode and de/intercalation at the cathode will be established to offer guidelines for design of ASSBs with unprecedented specific energies. In-situ and ex-situ characterizations will be performed to unravel the underlying mechanisms controlling interfacial properties of ASSBs. Density functional theory calculations, molecular dynamics and continuum models will be used and integrated to address the multi-length scale modeling from the electrode/electrolyte interface to single particle, multiple particles, and eventually to cell-level responses. The atomic level, sub-continuum level and cell-level understandings developed from these modeling efforts will assist the fundamental understanding of chemical/electrochemical stability between the electrode and Li-glass electrolyte, mechanical contact, Li plating/stripping, Li dendrite formation, ionic transport, and degradation physics of ASSBs. Through these scientific advancements, this PIRE project will lay a solid foundation for design, synthesis and fabrication of high-performance ASSBs at scale in the future.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.