SBIR Phase I: A unique aerogel-based separator technology for safety and ultrafast charging of batteries

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响将改善电池市场，并有助于向负担得起的清洁能源解决方案转变。该公司的新型气凝胶隔膜具有解决现有电池主要局限性的性能特点。薄膜提供的增强的耐久性和稳定性使电池非常适合电动汽车（EV）和其他应用，如移动的电话、平板电脑、无人机、无绳电动工具和电动自行车。电动汽车提供了最有可能的解决方案，以减少运输对环境的影响，在美国，通过促进对化石燃料的使用和随后的温室气体排放的显着减少。这项技术旨在提高电池的整体寿命，并确保它们能够承受严格的使用条件，从而提高电动汽车的可靠性和续航里程，同时减少充电和更换电池的频率和时间。同样，在电子领域，电池寿命的延长意味着设备性能的提高、停机时间的减少，以及最终用户体验的改善。SBIR第一阶段项目考察了公司气凝胶技术作为隔膜的技术可行性。这种膜是由六方氮化硼片（h-BN）与氮化硼纳米管（BNNT）结合的独特三维取向和功能化形成的。目前的隔板受到热稳定性差的限制，随后导致电池行业面临挑战，例如充电时间长，与高发热率相关的安全风险，以及由于缺乏足够的能量容量而导致的电池性能低下。该解决方案允许超快速充电（将电池额定值扩展到10 C），并提高了安全性（允许电池在高达200 °C的温度下工作），同时提高了循环能力，容量和功率密度。将允许气凝胶表征的研究活动是用各种化学部分官能化膜以增强离子传导性、内部串联电阻和耐锂电镀性，以及研究和测试气凝胶孔径形成以获得均匀的尺寸分布以防止锂电镀和活性颗粒的渗透，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。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will improve battery market and contribute towards the shift to affordable and clean energy solutions. The company’s novel aerogel membrane separator exhibits performance characteristics that address the major limitations of existing batteries. The enhanced durability and stability provided by the membrane make batteries highly suitable for electric vehicles (EVs) and other applications, such as mobile phones, tablets, drones, cordless power tools, and e-bikes. Electric vehicles offer the most likely solution to reduce the environmental impact of transport in the US by contributing towards a significant reduction in the usage of fossil fuels and the subsequent emissions of greenhouse gases. This technology seeks to improve the overall lifespan of batteries and ensure that they can endure rigorous usage conditions, thereby increasing the reliability and range of EVs, while decreasing the frequency and time of charging and battery replacement. Similarly, in the realm of electronics, the extended battery life translates into enhanced device performance, reduced downtime, and ultimately improved user experience.This SBIR Phase I project examines the technical feasibility of the company’s aerogel technology as a separator membrane. This membrane is formed by a unique 3-dimensional orientation and functionalization of hexagonal boron nitride sheets (h-BN) combined with boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). Current separators are limited by poor thermal stability, subsequently causing the battery industry to face challenges such as long charging times, safety risks associated with high heat generation rates, and low battery performance due to the lack of enough energy capacity. This solution allows for ultra-fast charging (extending the battery rating to 10C) and improved safely (allowing batteries to operate up to 200 °C), while enhancing cyclability, capacity, and power density. The research activities that will allow characterization of the aerogel are functionalization of the membrane with various chemical moieties to enhance ion conductivity, internal series resistance, and lithium plating resistance and investigation and testing of the aerogel pore size formation for a uniform size distribution to prevent lithium plating and penetration of active particles, while maximizing ionic conductivity.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.