Development of safe and high-energy all-solid-state lithium-sulfur and sodium-sulfur batteries

根据2015年《巴黎协定》，各方普遍认识到需要采取紧急和更密集的行动应对气候变化，将全球平均气温升幅控制在远低于2摄氏度的水平。以电动汽车（ev）取代内燃机（ICE）为基础的汽车是实现这一目标的重要一步。2020年世界经济论坛（WEF）和全球电池联盟的报告表明，电池作为电动汽车发展的关键组成部分，可以使交通和电力部门的二氧化碳排放量减少30%，为目前没有电力供应的6亿人提供电力供应，同时在全球创造1000万个安全和可持续的就业机会。基于液体电解质的可充电锂离子电池（LIBs）是当前电动汽车的主流选择。然而，这些lib仍然存在两个主要问题：(1)易燃液体电解质存在安全问题；(2)远程电动汽车的能量密度有限。因此，全固态电池（assb）已成为高安全性和高能量密度的高度可行的替代品。特别是，所有固态锂硫（Li-S）和钠硫（Na-S）电池（ASSLSBs和ASSNSBs）都具有很好的理论能量密度，是锂电池的3-5倍。李博士建议开发下一代asslsb和assnsb。该项目的目标是设计和制造满足电动汽车应用的安全高能量ASSL(N)SBs目标为400 Wh kg-1的关键电池材料和界面材料。这个创新的研究项目将充分利用李博士在纳米材料制造和电池表征方面的专业知识。本研究旨在开发有前景的硫化物基固态电解质和硫阴极材料，以解决ASSL(N)SBs在安全性、能量密度和寿命方面的挑战。一个重要的方面是应用先进的表征技术，如基于同步加速器的x射线技术，以深入了解电池材料的合成，结构和性能的相关性，并促进ASSL(N)SBs先进材料的设计。这些都是满足未来汽车对ASSL(N)SBs要求的重要步骤。该计划的成功完成将通过转移新的知识、专业知识和技术，大大有利于加拿大的科学、工业和社会发展。此外，该计划将加速ASSL(N)SBs技术的商业化，同时培养高素质人才（HQP）并减轻环境污染。

According to the 2015 Paris Agreement, the need for urgent and more intensive actions against climate change is broadly recognized to constrain the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C. The replacement of the internal combustion engine (ICE)-based vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) is a major step toward this goal. The report of 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) and Global Battery Alliance demonstrates that batteries as a key component in the development of EVs could enable 30% of the required reductions in CO2 emissions in the transportation and power sectors, providing electricity access to 600 million people who currently have no access, and meanwhile creating 10 million safe and sustainable jobs around the world. Liquid electrolyte based rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the prevailing choice for the current EVs. However, these LIBs still suffer from two main issues: (1) flammable liquid electrolytes with safety concerns and (2) limited energy densities for long-range EVs. Accordingly, all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have emerged as highly feasible alternatives for high safety and high energy density. In particular, all solid-state lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries (ASSLSBs and ASSNSBs) have promising theoretical energy densities, which is 3-5 times that of LIBs. Dr. Li proposes to develop next-generation ASSLSBs and ASSNSBs. The objective of this program is to design and fabricate the key battery materials and interfacial materials to meet the requirement of safe and high-energy ASSL(N)SBs with a target of 400 Wh kg-1 for the application in EVs. This innovative research program will take full advantage of Dr. Li's expertise in nanomaterials fabrication and characterization for batteries. This research aims to develop promising sulfide-based solid-state electrolytes and sulfur cathode materials to address the challenges in safety, energy density, and lifespan of the ASSL(N)SBs. An important aspect is to apply advanced characterization techniques, such as synchrotron based X-ray techniques, to give insights into the correlation of synthesis, structure, and performance of battery materials and to foster the design of advanced materials for ASSL(N)SBs. These are important steps to meet future automotive requirements for ASSL(N)SBs. Successful completion of the proposed program will significantly benefit Canada's scientific, industrial, and social development by transferring new knowledge, expertise and technologies. Furthermore, this initiative will accelerate the commercialization of ASSL(N)SBs technology while simultaneously training high-quality personnel (HQP) and alleviating environmental pollution.