The next generation of Lithium-ion batteries for all-electric vehicles as well as portable electronics devices will require breakthrough improvements in both energy and power density. In order to achieve such improvements radically new materials concepts for the anode and cathode will have to be developed and manufactured in a scalable and cost-effective manner. One such material concept is that of graphene-based electrode materials. However traditional manufacturing processes for graphene electrodes are not viable due to lack of process scalability and mass manufacture. The objective of this project is to develop novel approaches to overcome these challenges and enable the scalable and cost-effective manufacturing of graphene-based electrode materials. This can lead to new battery technologies which in addition to portable electronics such as cell phones, laptops and tablet computers could also play a central role in next generation wireless communication devices, stationary storage batteries, microchips and in next generation hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
To address mass scalability of the graphene electrode manufacturing process, two new graphene oxide deposition approaches will be explored. These include an electric-field driven process called electroplating and one fluid flow-based process, namely ultrasonic spraying. Furthermore, using a photo-thermal reduction process, a highly porous graphene electrode will be formed. To demonstrate process scalability, a web-based continuous (roll-to-roll) deposition process for graphene paper manufacturing will be developed. This will involve designing, prototyping, and testing an experimental test-bed. Once operational, the test-bed will be used to explore the effect of process variables and conditions on various key performance metrics such as yield and throughput. The structure, properties and performance of the graphene electrodes produced by the proposed scalable manufacturing process will be characterized in-depth to confirm that it provides the breakthrough improvements in energy and power density that were observed in preliminary lab-scale testing.
