I-Corps: Molecular layer deposition for polymer cathode fabrication

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发更可持续的电能储存技术。这项拟议的技术旨在用低成本的有机聚合物取代锂离子电池(Lib)正极中使用的昂贵和稀有的无机材料。建议的技术可能会提供一种来自国内的、可持续的材料解决方案，以提高LIBS的充电速度和电荷存储能力。这项技术可能会在保持电池性能的同时降低原材料和制造成本，从而使多个行业受益。降低成本和提高LIB的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，使用国内原料制造锂离子电池可能有利于国家安全，因为它防止了供应链中断对这些行业的影响。这个i-Corps项目基于分子层沉积(MLD)方法的开发，用于合成锂离子电池(LIB)的聚合物正极材料。该技术的重点是取代传统的过渡金属氧化物(TMO)阴极，利用MLD生产结构和形貌可控的聚合物基阴极。结果表明，使用MLD可以控制生长大容量、快速充电的聚合物薄膜。这些聚合物薄膜表现出比使用传统聚合物合成形成的材料更好的电荷存储性能。这些有益的性能是通过控制聚合物薄膜的厚度、组成和链间交联度达到分子级的精度而实现的。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智力优势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.