FMRG: Eco: Sustainable Route to 3D Solid-State Sodium-ion Battery by Direct Ink Writing and Capillary Rise Infiltration

虽然锂离子电池在电动汽车和电网储能等应用中越来越受欢迎，但用于制造这些电池的卷到卷的过程效率显著低下。此外，这些电池中用作电极的材料的回收利用率非常低。此外，锂离子电池中使用的锂和钴材料等关键元素的供应链也存在相当大的地缘政治风险。这项未来制造研究补助金(FMRG)生态制造奖将支持基础研究，以消除这些缺点，使来自学术界、国家实验室和行业的跨学科研究团队能够研究一种新的无锂和无钴三维固态钠离子电池的生态制造路线，其中固体电解液由聚合物复合材料制成，电极完全由富含地球的元素如钠、钾、锰和镍制成。电池制造概念只涉及基于直接墨水书写的3D打印，并结合固态转换和毛细上升渗透。这些都是可持续的工艺，可以消除传统的滚筒电池制造方法中遇到的几个缺陷。除了上述研究工作外，该团队还计划通过创建名为东北电池劳动力培训计划(NBWTP)的创新型混合在线/面对面教育和劳动力发展计划来培训下一代电池劳动力。这一劳动力计划面向成人学习者、在电池领域没有学位的求职者、代表性不足的少数族裔(URM)和重返平民生活的退伍军人，他们将接受培训，成为“电池准备好的兽医”。工业合作伙伴和宾夕法尼亚大学克莱曼能源政策中心将为这一创新劳动力培训计划的发展做出贡献。为了消除传统卷对卷电池制造工艺中遇到的缺陷，该团队将基于以下六个集成推力开发一条可持续的三维固态钠离子电池路线：推力#1(脚手架推力)将使用直接墨水书写打印具有微孔和宏孔的三维多孔金属支架。2号推力(阴极推力)将使用固态转化将支架的微米级孔壁部分转化为阴极，从而形成三维支架/阴极复合材料。推力#3(聚合物电解质推力)将使用毛细上升渗透来研究渗透到支架/阴极复合材料微孔中的两种基于聚合物的固态电解质。4号推力(负极和全电池推力)将使用毛细上升渗透技术，在宏大的毛孔中浸渍一种“自愈”的钠负极，制造出全三维固态钠离子电池。为了消除钠树枝晶诱导的短路，实现超长的循环寿命，当电池在中等温度下运行时，“自我修复”的钠负极将转化为液体。5号推力(回收推力)将使用无空气电解浸出回收旧电池。推力#6(劳动力推力)将建立一个自我维持的混合在线/面对面劳动力发展计划，以培训未来的电池工人。这种劳动力培训包括一个专业证书计划，该计划由通过Canvas Network以大规模在线开放课程(MOOC)的形式提供的在线课程组成。这个未来制造奖由数学和物理科学局(MPS)的材料研究部(DMR)支持，并由MPS的化学部(CHE)、工程局(ENG)的土木、机械和制造创新部(CMMI)和电气部共同资助。这一奖项反映了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。

While lithium-ion batteries have become increasingly popular in applications such as electric vehicles and grid energy storage, the roll-to-roll process used to manufacture these batteries is significantly inefficient. Furthermore, the recycling yield of materials used as electrodes in these batteries is very low. In addition, there are substantial geopolitical risks associated with the supply chains of critical elements such as the lithium and cobalt materials used in lithium-ion batteries. This Future Manufacturing Research Grant (FMRG) EcoManufacturing award will support fundamental research to eliminate these drawbacks by enabling a cross-disciplinary team of researchers from academia, a national laboratory and industry to investigate a novel Eco Manufacturing route to lithium- and cobalt-free three-dimensional solid-state sodium-ion batteries in which the solid electrolyte is made of polymer composites, and the electrodes are solely made of Earth-abundant elements such as sodium, potassium, manganese and nickel. The battery manufacturing concept only involves direct ink writing-based 3D printing in combination with solid-state conversion and capillary rise infiltration. These are sustainable processes that eliminate several deficiencies encountered in the conventional roll-to-roll battery manufacturing method. In addition to the research effort described above, the team plans to train the battery workforce of the next generation by creating an innovative hybrid online/in-person education and workforce development program called the Northeast Battery Workforce Training Program (NBWTP). This workforce program targets adult-learners, career-seekers without academic degrees in the field of batteries, underrepresented minorities (URMs), and veterans returning to civilian life, who will be trained to become “Battery Ready Vets.” Industrial partners and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at Penn will contribute to the development of this innovative workforce training program. To eliminate the deficiencies encountered in the conventional roll-to-roll battery manufacturing process, the team will develop a sustainable route to three-dimensional solid-state sodium-ion batteries based on the following six integrated thrusts: Thrust #1 (Scaffold thrust) will use direct ink writing to print a three-dimensional porous metal scaffold with both microscale and macroscale pores. Thrust #2 (Cathode thrust) will use solid-state conversion to partially convert the microscale pore walls of the scaffold into a cathode, resulting in a three-dimensional scaffold/cathode composite. Thrust #3 (Polymer electrolyte thrust) will investigate two polymer-based solid-state electrolytes infiltrated in the microscale pores of the scaffold/cathode composite using capillary rise infiltration. Thrust #4 (Anode and full battery thrust) will use capillary rise infiltration to impregnate the macroscale pores with a “self-healing” sodium anode and make the full three-dimensional solid-state sodium-ion battery. To eliminate sodium dendrite-induced short-circuiting and achieve ultralong cycle life, the “self-healing” sodium anode will transform into a liquid when the battery is operating at moderate temperatures. Thrust #5 (Recycling thrust) will use air-free electrolytic leaching to recycle used batteries. Thrust #6 (Workforce thrust) will establish a self-sustained hybrid online/in-person workforce development program to train future battery workers. This workforce training includes a professional certificate program consisting of online courses offered through Canvas Network in the form of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).This Future Manufacturing award is supported by the Division of Materials Research (DMR) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and co-funded by the Division of Chemistry (CHE) in MPS, the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), and the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) in ENG.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.