SBIR Phase I: Sulfur-infused carbon nanostructures for High Energy Density Secondary Batteries

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发一种新型纳米级工艺，用于合成硫注入碳复合阴极材料，以生产具有高充电/放电速率和超长循环寿命的高能量密度锂硫（Li-S）二次电池。第一阶段的研究目标包括：（1）开发适合于制造大量材料的工艺，（2）设计和制造用于合成工艺的原型反应器，（3）材料表征，以及（4）制造电池原型。这项研究将导致Li-S复合材料性能的持续改进，关键工艺特性的识别，并将确定扩大规模的挑战。用于笔记本电脑和移动的设备的最新锂离子电极材料的最大功率密度限制为0.28-0.6 kWh/kg，而Li-S提供了最高的理论能量密度（2.3 kW/kg）。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力表明，在110亿至130亿美元的锂离子电池市场中，具有长循环寿命（300）的锂硫电池是一种潜在的颠覆性技术，因为它们的能量密度比现有的化学平台高3- 4倍。锂离子电池存在于一系列消费产品中，例如笔记本电脑，智能手机和电动汽车（EV），尺寸，重量和电池寿命对客户满意度至关重要。此外，随着风能和太阳能可再生能源在电力供应中的作用不断扩大，储能正成为美国电网的一个更重要的问题。更好的电池对消费者和产品制造商都有价值，前者能够从更轻的移动的设备或电动汽车中获得更多的操作时间，后者有机会通过更轻、更便宜的设备和车辆与竞争对手区分开来。增强的储能技术还通过将发电与消费者需求相匹配来提高风能和太阳能发电部门的效率。该提案还允许进一步开发纳米复合材料合成，其在类似结构的材料中具有更广泛的科学和技术影响，用于储能，水净化膜，碳捕获和光催化平台。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a novel nano-scale process for synthesizing sulfur infused carbon composite cathode materials to produce high-energy density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) secondary batteries with a high rate of charge/discharge and extraordinarily long cycle life. Phase I research objectives include, (1) develop a process suitable for making large quantities of material, (2) design and fabricate prototype reactor for synthesis process, (3) material characterization, and (4) fabricate battery prototypes. This research will result in continued improvement in properties of Li-S composite material, identification of critical processing characteristics, and will identify challenges to increasing scale. State-of-the-art lithium-ion electrode materials used in laptop computers and mobile devices are limited to a maximum power density of 0.28-0.6 kWh/kg, while Li-S offers the highest theoretical energy densities (2.3kW/kg). The broader impact/commercial potential of this project show that lithium-sulfur batteries with a long cycle-life (300) are a potentially disruptive technology in the $11-$13 billion lithium-ion battery market because of their 3-4x energy density advantage over existing chemistry platforms. Lithium-ion batteries exist in a range of consumer products, such as laptops, smart phones, and electric vehicles (EV), for which size, weight, and battery life are critical to customer satisfaction. Additionally, energy storage is becoming a more important issue for the US electric grid, as wind and solar renewable energies continue to expand their role in electricity supply. Better batteries are of value to consumers, who are able to get more operating time from lighter mobile devices or EVs, and to product manufacturers, who are given the opportunity to differentiate from competitors with lighter and less expensive devices and vehicles. Enhanced energy storage technology also increases efficiency in the wind and solar electricity sector by matching power generation with consumer demand. This proposal also allows for further development of a nano-composite synthesis, which has a broader scientific and technological impact in similarly structured materials for energy storage, water purification membranes, carbon capture, and photovoltaics platforms.