Mastering Ion Transport at the Microscale in Solid Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries

寻求改进的能量储存是目前最重要的科学挑战之一。英国正在大力投资能源储存和可再生能源技术，并致力于在未来几十年内通过替换大部分发电能力来减少二氧化碳排放。制造更好的电池是在低碳未来使用电力的关键，也是开发当前和下一代技术的关键。目前基于液态电解质的锂离子电池已不能满足未来应用的要求。因此，创造更安全、更便宜、可回收和更高能量密度的电池对于运输电气化和可再生能源的电网规模储存至关重要。该EPSRC新研究者奖将开发变革性方法，为这些社会和工业关键问题提供解决方案。固态锂离子电池是一项迅速兴起的技术，有可能彻底改变能源储存。这项技术使用固体电解质，而不是目前锂离子电池中使用的易燃液体电解质。固态结构有可能显著提高下一代电池的安全性和能量密度。然而，它们的性能目前受到许多潜在挑战的限制，包括高电阻界面的存在以及难以控制这些电池所围绕的固体电解质的微观结构。这些挑战极大地阻碍了锂离子的传输，因此对电池的运行非常有害。为了解决这些相关问题，该团队将开发和应用最先进的计算和实验技术，以提供对固态电池微尺度固体电解质离子传输的基本理解。这样的理解将允许设计固体电解质微结构，促进锂离子的传输，而不是限制它。在该项目中获得的固态电池的见解也将对其他电池和能源技术产生直接影响，其中微观结构和固-固界面在决定其性能方面再次发挥关键作用。

The quest for improved energy storage is currently one of the most important scientific challenges. The UK is investing heavily in energy storage and renewable energy technologies and is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by replacing the majority of its electricity generating capacity over the next few decades. Building better batteries is key to the use of electricity in a low-carbon future and for the exploitation of current and next-generation technologies. Current Li-ion batteries based on liquid electrolytes cannot meet the requirements of future applications. The creation of safer, cheaper, recyclable and higher energy density batteries is therefore essential for the electrification of transport and grid-scale storage of energy from renewable resources. This EPSRC New Investigator Award will develop transformative methods that will deliver solutions to these societally and industrially critical problems. Solid-state Li-ion batteries are a rapidly emerging technology with the potential to revolutionise energy storage. This technology utilises solid electrolytes instead of the flammable liquid electrolytes found in current Li-ion batteries. The solid-state architecture has the potential to significantly increase both the safety and energy density of next-generation batteries. Their performance is, however, currently limited by a number of underlying challenges, including the presence of highly resistive interfaces and difficulties in controlling the microstructures of the solid electrolytes that these batteries are built around. These challenges greatly hinder Li-ion transport and are therefore highly detrimental to the operation of the battery. To address these pertinent issues, the team will develop and apply state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques to provide a fundamental understanding of ion transport at the microscale of solid electrolytes for solid-state batteries. Such an understanding will allow for the design of solid electrolyte microstructures that promote Li-ion transport instead of restricting it. The insights obtained for solid-state batteries in this project will also have direct implications for other battery and energy technologies where the microstructure and solid-solid interfaces again play crucial roles in determining their performance.