Nano-Engineered Design, Fabrication and Optimization of an Air Cathode for an Aluminum-Air Battery for Stationary and Transportation Applications

电能存储已成为加拿大清洁能源转型的关键组成部分。汽车电气化和风能、太阳能等可再生能源并网进一步凸显了价格合理、可靠和环保的储能平台的重要性。加拿大能源公司Sheer Technologies Inc.正在开发一种铝-空气（Al-air）原电池，这种电池可以机械充电，可用于交通、航空和公共电力等不同经济领域。尽管Al-air电池作为强大的能量存储平台具有重要的前景，但它们受到热力学和动力学障碍的影响，导致性能较差。为了解决这些问题，研究人员专注于优化不同的电池组件，包括阳极、阴极和电解质。空气阴极可以说是任何空气金属电池中最重要的组成部分，这限制了它们在性能和成本方面的实际应用。Sheer Technologies Inc.与兰姆顿学院的研究人员合作，开发了一种可靠、经济、高性能的纳米复合空气阴极，同时对环境影响小。这项应用研究合作的成功完成将极大地有利于Sheer Technologies Inc.，并有可能增加他们的年收入和技术和专业人员。兰姆顿学院的研究人员和学生也将从积极参与拟议的应用研究项目中受益。

Electrical energy storage has emerged as a critical component in Canada's clean energy transformation. Vehicle electrification and integration of renewables such as wind and solar power into the grid have further underlined the importance of affordable, reliable and environmentally friendly energy storage platforms.Sheer Technologies Inc., a Canadian energy company, is developing a primary aluminum-air (Al-air) battery, which can be mechanically charged, for use in different sectors of the economy, including transportation, aviation and public electric utilities. Although Al-air batteries hold significant promise as robust energy storage platforms, they suffer from thermodynamics and kinetic hurdles, leading to inferior performance. To address these issues, researchers have focused on optimizing different cell components, including anode, cathode and electrolyte. The air cathode is arguably the most important component of any air-metal battery, which limits their practical applications in terms of performance and cost.Sheer Technologies Inc. has partnered with researchers at Lambton College to develop a nano-engineered composite air cathode that is reliable, affordable, and high performance while having a small environmental footprint. The successful completion of this applied research collaboration will greatly benefit Sheer Technologies Inc. and has the potential to increase their annual revenue and technical and professional workforce. Researchers and students at Lambton College will also benefit from active participation in the proposed applied research project.