I-Corps: Molecular layer deposition for polymer cathode fabrication

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发更可持续的电能存储技术。这项技术旨在用低成本的有机聚合物取代锂离子电池（LIB）阴极中使用的昂贵和稀有的无机材料。 所提出的技术可以提供国内来源的可持续材料解决方案，提高LIB的充电速度和电荷存储容量。这项技术可以通过降低原材料和制造成本，同时保持电池性能，使多个行业受益。降低LIB的成本并提高其性能可能会影响一系列行业，包括电动汽车、消费电子和可再生能源存储。此外，使用国产原料生产锂离子电池（LIB）还可以防止供应链中断对这些行业的影响，从而有利于国家安全。I-Corps项目的基础是开发用于合成锂离子电池（LIB）聚合物正极材料的分子层沉积（MLD）方法。所提出的技术专注于通过利用MLD来生产具有受控结构和形态的聚合物基阴极，从而取代传统的过渡金属氧化物（TMO）阴极。结果表明使用MLD的高容量、快速充电聚合物薄膜的受控生长。这些聚合物膜表现出优于使用传统聚合物合成形成的材料的改进的电荷存储性质。这些有益的特性是通过以分子水平的精度控制聚合物薄膜的厚度、组成和链间交联来实现的。此外，MLD聚合物材料可以很容易地集成到现有的电池架构中，为市场过渡提供了一条途径。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/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a more sustainable electrical energy storage technology. The proposed technology is designed to replace expensive and rare inorganic materials used in lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathodes with low-cost organic polymers. The proposed technology may offer a domestically sourced, sustainable material solution that enhances charging speed and charge storage capacity of LIBs. This technology may benefit multiple industries by reducing raw materials and manufacturing costs while maintaining battery performance. Reducing the cost and improving the performance of LIBs may impact a range of industries including electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and renewable energy storage. In addition, using domestic feedstocks for LIBs may benefit national security by preventing supply chain disruptions from impacting these sectors.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a molecular layer deposition (MLD) method for synthesizing polymer cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The proposed technology is focused on displacing traditional transition metal oxide (TMO) cathodes by leveraging MLD to produce polymer-based cathodes with controlled structure and morphology. Results demonstrate controlled growth of high-capacity, fast-charging polymer thin films using MLD. These polymer films exhibit improved charge storage properties over materials formed using traditional polymer synthesis. These beneficial properties are achieved by controlling the thickness, composition, and interchain crosslinking of polymer thin films with molecular-level precision. In addition, the MLD polymer materials nay be easily integrated into existing battery architectures, providing a pathway for market transition.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.