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Mechanisms and Synthesis of Materials for Next-Generation Lithium Batteries Using Flame Spray Pyrolysis

利用火焰喷雾热解制备下一代锂电池材料的机理和合成

基本信息

批准号：
EP/T015233/1
负责人：
Kai Luo
金额：
$ 49.44万
依托单位：
University College London
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2021 至无数据
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FT015233%2F1
关键词：
Mechanisms Synthesis Materials Next Generation

项目摘要

Electricity has emerged as a preferred energy vector for both conventional and renewable energy, thanks to its versatility and the vast existing electrical infrastructure. The electrification of the transport sector is a natural development to make use of energy from a wide variety of sources, and to reduce CO2 emissions and combat urban air pollution. The UK government plans to ban sale of all diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040, following similar moves by France and Germany. Globally, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) is projected to rise from about 1 million in 2015 to 300 million in 2040. Achieving these goals requires dramatically improved performance and lowered costs of batteries for EV use. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising, but enhanced materials for electrodes, especially the cathode, are needed to meet the power density and costs requirements for the next-generation EVs and energy storage systems. The research aims to generate fundamental knowledge and develop experimental and numerical tools for the controlled synthesis of high-performance cathode materials for LIBs with the inherent potential to be scaled to large throughput production. The materials will be based on layered, multi-element metal oxides (MOs) and carbon-metal oxides (CMOs). Among these, the nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMCs) with various metal contents and surface features, which are favoured by mainstream automotive companies, will be the main target for the research, though the research and production techniques will be applicable for a large class of MOs and CMOs. Conventionally, MOs can be produced via solid state, sol-gel, and co-precipitation methods and combinations thereof, followed by high temperature annealing processes without or with carbon coating. Such multi-step synthesis routes are time- and energy-consuming, and require delicate control of the surrounding conditions. A promising alternative is flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), in which a precursor solution is atomised to produce a large number of evaporating droplets that are carried into a heated reactor or burned with a flame to form nanoparticles. FSP can offer a one-step, high throughput, easy-to-handle, scalable and continuous process, with a wide range of precursor solutions. It allows good control and, importantly, decoupling of the production process from the gas-phase chemistry process, creating the potential to produce designer materials at scale and low cost. The project is a collaboration between Cambridge University (Simone Hochgreb in flame synthesis; Adam Boies in nanoparticle synthesis; Michael De Volder in nanomaterial and batteries) and UCL (Kai Luo in modelling and simulation). A combined experimental and numerical study will be conducted to reveal the dynamic processes of and controlling mechanisms behind particle formation, growth and coating. At the microscopic level, the detailed transport and chemical reactions will be unravelled; at the mesoscopic level, factors affecting phase change and particle growth will be identified; and at the macroscopic level, the input parameters and time scales of key processes will be linked with quality of MO and CMO products. The experiments involve cutting-edge in-situ and ex-situ measurements to qualify and quantify the synthesis process. The modelling and simulation include advanced mesoscopic simulations of droplet dynamics and evaporation; and atomistic simulations of precursor pyrolysis, particle formation and growth. The fundamental insights gained, and tools and production techniques developed will be exploited for controlled flame synthesis of materials that are directly tied to battery performance metrics, in collaboration with four companies (CATL, Echion Tech, PV3 Technologies and STFET). These companies' activities cover the technology readiness levels (TRLs) from 2 to 9, providing valuable inputs to the research and multiple routes to exploitation of research outputs.

电力已成为传统能源和可再生能源的首选能源载体，这要归功于它的多功能性和庞大的现有电力基础设施。交通部门的电气化是利用各种来源的能源、减少二氧化碳排放和防治城市空气污染的自然发展。英国政府计划从2040年起禁止销售所有柴油和汽油轿车和面包车，此前法国和德国也采取了类似举措。在全球范围内，电动汽车(EV)的数量预计将从2015年的约100万辆增加到2040年的3亿辆。实现这些目标需要大幅提高电动汽车用电池的性能和降低成本。锂离子电池前景看好，但为了满足下一代电动汽车和储能系统对功率密度和成本的要求，需要增强电极材料，特别是阴极材料。这项研究的目的是产生基础知识，并开发实验和数值工具，用于控制合成高性能锂离子电池正极材料，具有大规模生产的固有潜力。这些材料将以层状多元素金属氧化物(MOS)和碳-金属氧化物(CMO)为基础。其中，具有不同金属含量和表面特征的镍锰钴氧化物(NMC)将是主流汽车公司青睐的主要研究对象，尽管其研究和生产技术将适用于大类MOS和CMO。传统上，可以通过固态、溶胶-凝胶法和共沉淀法及其组合来制备MOS，随后在没有或有碳涂层的情况下进行高温热处理。这种多步骤合成路线既耗时又耗能，需要对周围条件进行精细控制。一种很有前途的替代方法是火焰喷雾热解(FSP)，在这种方法中，前体溶液被雾化，产生大量蒸发的液滴，这些液滴被带进加热的反应堆或与火焰燃烧以形成纳米颗粒。FSP可以提供一步法、高通量、易于处理、可扩展和连续的流程，具有广泛的前体解决方案。它可以很好地控制生产过程，更重要的是，将生产过程与气相化学过程分离，创造了以规模和低成本生产设计材料的潜力。该项目是剑桥大学(Simone Hochgreb在火焰合成方面；Adam Boies在纳米颗粒合成方面；Michael de Vold在纳米材料和电池方面)和UCL(在建模和模拟方面)之间的合作。通过实验和数值模拟相结合的方法，揭示了颗粒形成、长大和包覆的动力学过程和控制机制。在微观层面上，将揭示详细的输运和化学反应；在介观层面上，将确定影响相变和颗粒生长的因素；在宏观层面上，关键过程的输入参数和时间尺度将与MO和CMO产品的质量相联系。这些实验包括尖端的原位和非原位测量，以对合成过程进行定性和量化。建模和模拟包括液滴动力学和蒸发的高级介观模拟，以及前体热解、颗粒形成和生长的原子模拟。将与四家公司(CATL、Echion Tech、PV3 Technologies和STFET)合作，利用所获得的基本见解以及开发的工具和生产技术，对与电池性能指标直接相关的材料进行受控火焰合成。这些公司的活动涵盖了从2级到9级的技术准备水平(TRL)，为研究提供了宝贵的投入，并提供了利用研究成果的多种途径。