Conjugated Polymer Binders for Lithium and Sodium-Ion Batteries

用于锂和钠离子电池的共轭聚合物粘合剂

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05386
• 负责人: Kuss, Christian
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=715524
• 关键词: Conjugated; Polymer; Binders; Lithium; Sodium

With the rise of global temperatures, the transition of the energy economy from a fossil fuels basis to renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Fossil fuels are convenient, because they can be easily transported, and converted to the required form of energy locally and immediately. Renewable energy sources, on the other hand, produce electricity when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, without regard for consumer requirements. Moreover, high-power renewable energy is hardly mobile. Cheap rechargeable batteries can help by storing energy in definable small packages, and store and release energy as required by the consumer. In this way, they make renewable energy accessible for mobile applications (e.g. electric cars) and increase the implementable renewable energy portion in existing electric grids. However, at the moment, rechargeable batteries are still quite expensive, which raises the price of renewable energy implementation. The technology of choice, Li-ion batteries, are commonly fabricated with materials that include Lithium, Cobalt and Nickel, which are expensive metals. Li-ion battery fabrication is further a costly process that has to be performed under completely dry and clean atmosphere and it uses expensive and environmentally hazardous organic solvents. The proposed research program targets battery cost, performance and sustainability by exploring new materials that can aid the full utilization of energy-storing active materials. Within the current funding period, my team and I will explore binders that are electronically conducting and good adhesives in typical Li- and Na-ion batteries. These binders serve to hold active material particles together, and connect them electronically to the current collector. The proposed research will design and investigate electronically conducting binders, explore their application in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, and illustrate the microscopic mechanisms by which electronically conducting binders improve the performance of batteries. In doing so, the program will support the training of 3 MSc and 2 PhD students. The outcome will impact battery cost, performance and sustainability in several ways. Firstly, these binders are designed to be water processable. By overcoming the use of costly, toxic organic solvents, this reduces processing costs and environmental impact. Secondly, they will make large capacity materials accessible by accommodating larger volume changes of the charge-storing material. This increases charge storage capacity of the battery. Finally, the proposed binders can help the realization of the much cheaper Na-ion battery technology. Beyond the current funding cycle, this knowledge will be applied to alternative battery chemistries that have the potential to hugely improve battery performance, but currently suffer from low cycle life.

随着全球气温的升高，能源经济从以化石燃料为基础向可再生能源转型变得越来越紧迫。化石燃料很方便，因为它们可以很容易地运输，并在当地立即转化为所需的能源形式。另一方面，可再生能源在阳光明媚或刮风的时候发电，而不考虑消费者的需求。此外，大功率可再生能源很难移动。廉价的可充电电池可以将能量储存在可定义的小包装中，并根据消费者的需要储存和释放能量。通过这种方式，他们使可再生能源可用于移动应用（例如电动汽车），并增加了现有电网中可实施的可再生能源部分。