STTR Phase II: Multi-functional, Scalable Graphene-Based Protective Coatings for High Energy Density Lithium-Ion Cathodes

这项小型企业技术转让（STTR）二期项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提高下一代锂离子电池的安全性，这些电池用于电子、电动汽车和其他特殊应用等许多应用。未来十年，锂离子正极材料市场预计将以每年10%的速度增长，到2030年，锂离子正极材料市场预计将超过300亿美元，创造巨大的商业潜力。该项目将开发一种涂层，以提高锂离子电池的耐久性、容量和低温性能；它将以模块化和灵活的方式在工业上部署。STTR第二期项目旨在开发和验证石墨烯涂层技术的工业制造原型，以实现新兴高性能阴极材料的快速商业化。由此产生的创新将证明石墨烯功能化的商业可行性，以解决下一代富镍高能量密度阴极面临的关键技术问题，如化学不稳定性、狭窄的工作条件和高电池阻抗生长。这项技术通过纳米技术与传统锂离子电池系统的集成，提供了一种全面的解决方案，可以精确地针对这些痛点。拟议研究活动的总体目标包括：(1)开发全连续流石墨烯基涂层前驱体生产；(2)实现了富镍阴极微粒卷对卷石墨烯涂层中试工艺；(3)开发和验证用于早期验证的替代涂层途径；(4)为商业验证增加循环寿命、化学稳定性、速率和温度性能而进行的袋装电池原型制作工作。该项目将推进与现有电池生产线无缝集成的技术。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project is to enable improved safety for next generation lithium-ion batteries, used in many applications, such as electronics, electric vehicles, and other specialty applications. With a projected growth over 10% annually over the next decade, the lithium-ion cathode material market is expected to exceed $30 B by 2030, creating a significant commercial potential. This project will develop a coating to improve the durability, capacity, and low-temperature performance of lithium-ion batteries; it will be deployed industrially in a modular and flexible fashion. This STTR Phase II project proposes to develop and validate an industrial manufacturing prototype of a graphene-based coating technology for rapid commercialization of emerging high-performance cathode materials. The resulting innovation will demonstrate the commercial viability of the graphene functionalization to address key technical issues facing the next-generation Ni-rich high energy density cathodes such as chemical instability, narrow operating conditions, and high cell impedance growth. This technology provides a comprehensive solution to precisely target these pain points through integration of nanotechnology with traditional lithium-ion battery systems. The overarching goals of the proposed research activities include (1) development of fully continuous-flow graphene-based coating precursor production; (2) implementation of pilot-scale roll-to-roll graphene-based coating process for Ni-rich cathode microparticles; (3) development and validation of alternate coating pathways for early validation, and (4) pouch cell prototyping efforts for commercial validation of increases in cycle life, chemical stability, and rate and temperature performance. This project will advance the technology for seamless integration into existing battery manufacturing lines.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.