I-Corps: Molecular layer deposition for polymer cathode fabrication

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种更可持续的电能存储技术。该技术旨在用低成本的有机聚合物取代锂离子电池（LIB）阴极中使用的昂贵且稀有的无机材料。提出的技术可能提供一种国内来源的、可持续的材料解决方案，提高锂电池的充电速度和充电存储容量。这项技术可以在保持电池性能的同时减少原材料和制造成本，从而使多个行业受益。降低成本和提高锂电池的性能可能会影响一系列行业，包括电动汽车、消费电子产品和可再生能源存储。此外，使用国内原料生产lib可以防止供应链中断影响这些部门，从而有利于国家安全。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种分子层沉积（MLD）方法，用于合成锂离子电池（lib）的聚合物正极材料。该技术的重点是利用MLD取代传统的过渡金属氧化物（TMO）阴极，生产结构和形态可控的聚合物基阴极。结果表明，利用MLD可控制生长高容量、快速充电的聚合物薄膜。与使用传统聚合物合成的材料相比，这些聚合物薄膜具有更好的电荷存储性能。这些有益的性能是通过分子级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，为市场转型提供了途径。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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.