Microwave-Assisted Chemical Insertion for Designing Multivalent-ion Battery Hosts

非技术总结全球能源使用的快速增长和日益加剧的环境担忧正在推动清洁、可持续、能源转换和储存技术的发展。可再生能源为这一挑战提供了一个有吸引力的解决方案，但有效和经济地储存可再生能源产生的电力对于使用这些间歇性能源至关重要。充电电池(今天的锂离子电池)是有效储存和利用电能的最可行的选择。然而，锂的有限储量要求开发基于地球上丰富、更安全的多价金属离子的充电电池，如镁、锌和铝，用于可再生能源储存和电动汽车等大规模应用。目前，缺乏合适的电极材料和电解液阻碍了这类电池的发展。该项目由材料研究部固态和材料化学计划资助，重点是开发和使用一种简便的微波辅助合成工艺来筛选和开发多价离子电池的新电极材料。通过该项目获得的洞察力和科学理解可以为下一代先进充电电池的设计和开发铺平道路。此外，该项目还在全球重要的清洁能源领域为研究生和本科生以及社区大学生和教师提供广泛的跨学科培训，包括材料化学和电化学。技术总结全球能源使用的快速增长和对环境的日益关注正在推动清洁、可持续、能源转换和储存技术的发展。在这方面，开发基于地球上丰富的、更安全的多价工作离子(如镁、锌、钙和铝)的充电电池引起了极大的兴趣，但由于缺乏足够的电解液，多价离子电池的发展极具挑战性。该项目由材料研究部的固态和材料计划资助，重点是利用一种简便的、微波辅助的合成方法和更安全、易于操作的化学品将多价离子插入主体材料中，并开发潜在的多价离子电池电极材料。该方法不仅可用作快速筛选平台，无需制造电化学电池即可快速识别可存活的宿主，而且还提供了新的动力学稳定相/组合物的可访问性，否则传统的高温固态方法无法获得这些相/组合物。利用多价离子化学插入技术，该项目计划(I)确定高性能的多价离子主体材料，(Ii)建立对其晶体化学、电化学行为以及离子和电子传输特性的基本了解，以及(Iii)展示其用于电能存储的可行性。化学制备的相还将允许对其结构、形态、电化学和离子/电子传输性质进行精确的研究，而不会增加从电化学池中检索和使用电极材料时出现的复杂性。通过该项目获得的见解和基本理解可以为下一代先进的可充电多价离子电池的设计和开发铺平道路。此外，该项目为研究生和本科生以及社区学院的学生和教师提供广泛的跨学科培训，这些培训涉及全球重要的清洁能源领域，包括材料化学和电化学。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYRapid increase in global energy use and growing environmental concerns are prompting the development of clean, sustainable, energy conversion and storage technologies. Renewable energy sources, offer an appealing solution to this challenge, but efficient and economical storage of electricity produced from renewable sources is crucial for using these intermittent energy sources. Rechargeable batteries (today's lithium-ion batteries) are the most viable option for the efficient storage and utilization of electrical energy. However, the limited abundance of lithium necessitates the development of rechargeable batteries based on earth-abundant, safer, multivalent metal ions, such as magnesium, zinc, and aluminium, for large-scale applications like renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Currently, the lack of appropriate electrode materials and electrolytes hampers the development of such batteries. This project, which is funded by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research, focuses on developing and using a facile, microwave-assisted synthesis process to screen and develop new electrode materials for multivalent-ion batteries. The insights and scientific understanding obtained with this project can pave the way for the design and development of next-generation of advanced rechargeable batteries. In addition, the project provides a broad interdisciplinary training to graduate and undergraduate students as well as community college students and teachers in the globally important area of clean energy, encompassing materials chemistry and electrochemistry.TECHNICAL SUMMARYRapid increase in global energy use and growing environmental concerns are prompting the development of clean, sustainable, energy conversion and storage technologies. In this regard, there is immense interest to develop rechargeable batteries based on earth-abundant, safer, multivalent working ions, such as Mg, Zn, Ca, and Al, but the lack of adequate electrolytes makes the development of multivalent-ion batteries extremely challenging. This project, which is funded by the Solid State and Materials program in the Division of Materials Research, focuses on utilizing a facile, microwave-assisted synthesis with safer, easy-to-handle chemicals to insert multivalent ions into host materials and develop potential electrode materials for multivalent-ion batteries. The approach not only serves as a fast screening platform for quickly identifying viable hosts without the necessity of making electrochemical cells, but also offers the accessibility of new kinetically stabilized phases/compositions that are otherwise inaccessible by conventional high-temperature solid-state methods. With the multivalent-ion chemical insertion technique, the project plans to (i) identify high-performance multivalent-ion host materials, (ii) establish a fundamental understanding of their crystal chemistry, electrochemical behavior, and ionic and electronic transport properties, and (iii) demonstrate their feasibility for electrical energy storage. The chemically prepared phases will also allow a precise investigation of their structural, morphological, electrochemical, and ionic/electronic transport properties without the added complexity that arises when retrieving and using an electrode material from an electrochemical cell. The insights and fundamental understanding obtained with this project can pave the way for the design and development of next-generation of advanced rechargeable multivalent-ion batteries. In addition, the project provides a broad interdisciplinary training to graduate and undergraduate students as well as community college students and teachers in the globally important area of clean energy, encompassing materials chemistry and electrochemistry.