SBIR Phase I: Enabling Better Grid-Scale Energy Storage with Organic Additives

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是为可再生电网开发一种更经济、可扩展和可持续的电池类型。随着风力和太阳能发电变得越来越普遍，在没有风或太阳的情况下，需要经济的储能来提供电力。较老的电池技术，如锂离子电池和铅酸电池，在供应、安全、寿命和可持续性方面构成了挑战。该项目将生产新的化学成分，以实现基于安全、丰富和可回收的锌金属的新型网格级电池。拟议中的电池将使用更长时间，运行效率更高，以降低能源价格，降低寿命结束成本，并加快可再生能源的使用。这个SBIR第一期项目计划生产化学添加剂，以提高锌溴电池的寿命和效率。这些电池在充电过程中会出现不受欢迎的副作用，从而带来挑战。该项目将开发新的添加剂，以防止不均匀的锌沉积和气体形成，而不会牺牲性能或增加显着的成本。研究目标包括对目前可用的化学品进行修改以达到预期的性能，以及开发一套设计原则以进一步改进电池添加剂。拟议的工作是验证材料在苛刻的电池电解液中的长期稳定性，并验证在合适的电池条件下的性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project will be to develop a more economical, scalable and sustainable type of battery for the renewable power grid. As wind and solar power generation become more common, economical energy storage is needed to supply power in the absence of wind or sun. Older battery technologies, such as lithium ion and lead acid batteries, pose challenges with supply, safety, longevity, and sustainability. This project will produce new chemical components to enable new grid-scale batteries based on safe, abundant, and recyclable zinc metal. The proposed batteries will last longer and run more efficiently to lower energy prices, reduce end-of-life costs, and accelerate the use of renewable energy. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to produce chemical additives to improve the lifetime and efficiency of zinc-bromine batteries. These batteries pose challenges through unwanted side reactions occurring during battery charging. This project will develop new additives to prevent uneven zinc deposition and gas formation without sacrificing performance or adding significant cost. The research objectives include modification of currently available chemicals to achieve the desired performance, as well as to develop a suite of design principles for further improvements to battery additives. The proposed work is to validate the materials for long-term stability in harsh battery electrolytes and validate performance in suitable battery conditions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.