SBIR Phase I: Coated metal foils for high energy density, low-cost, lithium-ion batteries

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will focus on researching and developing aluminum--based current collectors to replace copper foils in lithium-ion batteries. Copper foils are the third largest cost ($6.50/kWh) and third heaviest component (~0.5 kg/kWh) in lithium-ion batteries. Copper is heavily used in the clean technology space and there is expected to be a 3-5 million ton gap between the supply and demand for copper by 2030. Copper foil demand for electric vehicles is expected to exceed 1.5 million tons annually by 2030. This project will explore the use of specialized aluminum foils to eliminate copper in lithium-ion batteries. The specialty aluminum foil will be three times lighter than copper and could eliminate in excess of 50 pounds of battery pack weight in a typical electric vehicle. The intellectual merit of this project is to demonstrate that specialized aluminum foils can achieve the requisite materials properties for battery applications. There are three criteria that must be met: 1) the specialty aluminum foil must have similar electrochemical surface properties as copper; 2) the anode material must adhere strongly; and 3) the specialty foil must be able to be ultrasonically welded to metal tabs. Currently, pure aluminum foils are used as current collectors on the cathode side but cannot be used on the anode side because lithium alloys with aluminum at low potentials. Developing specialized aluminum foils that have unique surface properties is key to replacing copper in batteries. Aluminum is lighter, cheaper, and more abundant than copper. Specialty aluminum foils that achieve unique surface properties have a wide array of applications including metallization layers on solar cells. Full demonstration of specialized aluminum foils in batteries could also open up new research directions with the potential to improve the critical materials used in clean energy and related applications.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.