This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II research project proposes to develop nanotechnology-enabled advanced lithium-ion batteries for electric transportation applications. While lithium-ion batteries represent the current state-of-the-art for rechargeable batteries, performance of current lithium-ion battery designs is limited by the properties of both electrodes and electrolytes. The proposed research combines nanostructured electrodes with environmentally benign electrolytes to develop high-performance, safe, and long lifespan lithium-ion batteries. The proposed research will optimize nanostructured electrodes, produce the electrodes in large scale, and fabricate and evaluate packaged prototype batteries. A team capable of fabricating, evaluating, and commercializing these batteries for electric transportation applications has been assembled.
The broader impact of this research is to improve the functionality and marketability of advanced electric transportation applications such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Electric Vehicles (EVs). The proposed batteries will significantly benefit electric vehicle applications by decreasing harmful emissions, achieving better fuel economy, and reducing our nation?s reliance on foreign petroleum sources. More broadly, they will also benefit a wide range of applications including consumer electronics, medical electronics, electric utility industries, and military and defense systems. The technology under development in this project will enable the next generation of lithium-ion batteries that will offer superior performance and reduced environmental concerns. In addition to lithium-ion batteries, nanostructured materials demonstrated in this project will have a broad impact on other electronic and electrochemical devices.
This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project continued the development of advanced lithium-ion batteries intended for application in advanced electric transportation technology. Lithium-ion batteries represent the current state-of-the-art for rechargeable batteries. However, performance (energy / power, safety, and cycle life) of current lithium-ion battery designs is limited by the properties of both electrodes and electrolytes. To address this deficiency, ADA Technologies, Inc. along with Case Western Reserve University developed high capacity / high rate nanostructured electrodes and combined them with environmentally benign electrolytes to develop lithium-ion batteries that feature high specific energy / power and inherently safe operation. Phase I research resulted in new nanostructured electrodes and electrochemically stable electrolytes, and high capacity and high rate capability were demonstrated for these electrodes in the optimized electrolyte. The Phase II project continued the optimization of three types of nanostructured electrodes, scaled up the most promising electrodes to a larger format, and fabricated/evaluated prototype lithium-ion pouch cells. The nanocomposite electrodes found to be most commercially viable are not ideal for electric drive vehicle applications due to limitiations in cycle life, but the electrodes have become a foundation for follow-on work to develop high-energy batteries for unmanned air systems. These electrodes offer a substantial increase in specific energy over conventional materials, and a lower average voltage helps to maintain stability with the electrolyte. ADA expects initial sales of batteries containing this technology in late-2013.
