Nano-Engineered Design, Fabrication and Optimization of an Air Cathode for an Aluminum-Air Battery for Stationary and Transportation Applications

电能储存已成为加拿大清洁能源转型的关键组成部分。汽车电气化和风能、太阳能等可再生能源并入电网进一步凸显了可负担、可靠和环保的储能平台的重要性。加拿大能源公司Sheer Technologies Inc.正在开发一种可以机械充电的原铝空气电池，用于不同的经济部门，包括交通、航空和公共电力公用事业。尽管铝空气电池作为坚固的储能平台前景看好，但它们受到热力学和动力学障碍的影响，导致性能较差。为了解决这些问题，研究人员专注于优化不同的电池组件，包括阳极、阴极和电解液。空气阴极可以说是所有空气-金属电池中最重要的组件，这在性能和成本方面限制了它们的实际应用。Sheer Technologies Inc.与兰伯顿学院的研究人员合作开发了一种纳米工程复合空气阴极，这种电池可靠、经济、高性能，同时对环境的影响很小。这一应用研究合作的成功完成将极大地惠及Sheer Technologies Inc.，并有可能增加其年收入以及技术和专业人员队伍。兰布顿学院的研究人员和学生也将受益于积极参与拟议的应用研究项目。

Electrical energy storage has emerged as a critical component in Canada's clean energy transformation. Vehicle electrification and integration of renewables such as wind and solar power into the grid have further underlined the importance of affordable, reliable and environmentally friendly energy storage platforms.Sheer Technologies Inc., a Canadian energy company, is developing a primary aluminum-air (Al-air) battery, which can be mechanically charged, for use in different sectors of the economy, including transportation, aviation and public electric utilities. Although Al-air batteries hold significant promise as robust energy storage platforms, they suffer from thermodynamics and kinetic hurdles, leading to inferior performance. To address these issues, researchers have focused on optimizing different cell components, including anode, cathode and electrolyte. The air cathode is arguably the most important component of any air-metal battery, which limits their practical applications in terms of performance and cost.Sheer Technologies Inc. has partnered with researchers at Lambton College to develop a nano-engineered composite air cathode that is reliable, affordable, and high performance while having a small environmental footprint. The successful completion of this applied research collaboration will greatly benefit Sheer Technologies Inc. and has the potential to increase their annual revenue and technical and professional workforce. Researchers and students at Lambton College will also benefit from active participation in the proposed applied research project.