Status: AWARD DATE: 08/31/2022

Background:

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have long been limited to ambient temperatures and the internal electrochemical reactions and operating LIB’s has proven to cause thermal fluctuations that have led to battery explosions and safety issues. While past efforts to address these issues were focused on thermal management strategies, we have found that the performance and safety of LIBs at both low and high temperatures is inherently deep-rooted to their respective materials components, such as electrode and electrolyte materials, and the so-called solid-electrolyte interphases. In particular, there is no existing electrolyte chemistry that covers large temperature ranges, and devices are only stable and reliable at room temperature. Our group has successfully demonstrated that the complete replacement of a conventional liquid electrolyte and the polymeric separator with a single quasi-solid composite electrolyte can extend the temperature range of supercapacitors to 200oC and of LIBs to 150oC. These quasi-solid composites constitute a new class of electrolytes and are formed by the combination of ceramic nanomaterials and high-boiling point organic solvents and room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). Such an electrolyte system allows us to utilize high energy density metallic lithium as the anode without compromising on safety.

Industry Impact:

Materials and devices used in oil and gas (O&G) production and exploration experience extreme environmental conditions. With the continuous upsurge in demand for autonomous devices, there has been an increased need for energy storage systems that is high-energy and high-power that can operate safely under the most aggressive conditions.

Project Goals:

The overarching scope of the proposed project is to develop and fabricate high-energy and high-power quasi-solid lithium batteries that can operate under a wide range of temperatures and pressure. Further, we plan to explore the possibilities of such batteries for various conditions including thermal/pressure fluctuations, leakage currents, self-discharge etc. and thus these devices provide safe and reliable power supply for extended operation of offshore infrastructure and continuous uninterrupted production from Deepwater facilities. More specifically the scope includes:

• Optimization of quasi-solid lithium battery by balancing power and energy. Use of high energy density cathodes such as NCA and/or NMC against metallic lithium to build high energy/power lithium batteries
• Compatibility studies of electrodes/quasi-solid electrolytes and electrochemical testes to understand battery life, stability (self-discharge) at high temp./pressure

Tasks:

1. Combination of cathode and quasi-solid electrolyte systems
2. Electrode assembly and quasi-solid-state batteries fabrication
3. Electrochemical performance

Gantt Chart: