Lithium-ion batteries are emerging as the key energy storage technology for both the power grid and electric vehicles due to their high energy capacity and lightweight. However, they remain costly, are very difficult to recycle, and suffer significant performance degradation over time. This Future Manufacturing (FM) grant will support fundamental research to discover and develop future manufacturing concepts that enable fabrication of reliable, energy dense, and easily recyclable next generation Li-ion batteries. The novel manufacturing approach will enable battery fabrication in smaller steps and provide highly efficient thermal management, while improving electrochemical performance, lifecycle sustainability, and recyclability. The manufacturing processes will result in both reduced waste and lower energy input compared to the current state-of-the-art. The research will reduce the dependency of the United States on imported critical materials, support a circular economy through simplified battery manufacturing and recycling processes, and in doing so also reduce the cost of Li-ion batteries. The grant will also create new outreach projects and workforce development activities for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students and professionals and transform the curricula in multidisciplinary areas related to Li-ion batteries, manufacturing engineering, thermal science, and system design.
Li-ion batteries today are manufactured via slurry-based processes, which introduce complexity, cost, and other challenges into battery manufacturing and recycling. This research will utilize a new manufacturing paradigm, which capitalizes on novel electrodeposition/de-electroplating technologies to holistically optimize Li-ion battery manufacturing for enhanced performance, lifecycle sustainability, thermal management, and recyclability. In support of this vision, the research plan is composed of four tightly coupled research thrusts, paired with extensive workforce development and education activities. In Thrust 1, the research will advance electrode and electrolyte manufacturing and assembly of cathode-electrolyte-anode stacks. In Thrust 2, the research will use the understanding developed in Thrust 1 to develop both electrochemical and innovative inside-out cell recycling concepts. In Thrust 3, the research will focus on cell design, exploiting the novel thermal and electrical properties of the electrodeposited electrodes and electrolytes to form high performance cells compatible with recycling. In Thrust 4, the research will perform extensive lifecycle analysis and reliability-based optimization, to enhance reliability and lifecycle sustainability of the Li-ion battery solution and demonstrate its performance gains over existing battery manufacturing technologies. Running through these thrusts is a holistic design strategy that integrates aspects of manufacturing, performance, recycling, and lifecycle analysis.
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.
