2023 Spring Meeting

 

Lithium-ion cell manufacturing with SemiSolid platform is currently being adopted and deployed by global partners. This chemistry agnostic platform offers highly reliable, safe, and cost-competitive process and cell solution to EV and ESS markets. Meanwhile, 24M is collaborating with varies cathode vendors and developing unique process and cell structures/engineering in the lithium metal system to enable some > 500Wh/kg design cells and currently working with ARPA-e SCALEUP team to apply the structure to the aircraft and extreme case applications.

 

Next-Generation Cobalt-Free Cathodes – A Prospective Solution to the Battery Industry's Cobalt Problem, Dr. Marm Dixit, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In recent times, the battery research community has been grappling with the growing concern of ensuring sustainability in battery technologies to facilitate the advancement of electric vehicles in the next generation. Over the past decade, the volatile fluctuations in cobalt prices have significantly restricted the supply chains of battery manufacturing industries. This is due to the prevalent use of cobalt-containing cathode materials in mainstream lithium-ion batteries. To ensure a sustainable future for electric vehicles while keeping battery costs low (around $80/kWh), numerous research endeavors have been focused on exploring nickel-rich cathode chemistries with high capacities exceeding 200 mAh/g. Although these nickel-rich compositions do not fully address the sustainability question, they remain the most promising alternatives when considering the performance requirements of modern electric vehicles. In this context, our team has been investigating the development of innovative categories of layered lithium-ion battery cathode materials that do not contain any cobalt. We have systematically studied new cobalt-free nickel-rich battery cathodes with the general formula LiNixM1yM2zO2 (where M1 and M2 represent other metal ions, and x + y + z = 1)[1,2]. Our research focuses on evaluating the performance of these cathodes to identify the most effective nickel-rich variant. These layered nickel-rich cobalt-free cathodes possess similar crystal structure and properties to conventional cobalt-containing cathodes like NCMs and NCAs, while demonstrating comparable or even superior electrochemical performance in some cases. This presentation will outline our research efforts in the development of these novel cathode formulations, including investigations into compositional landscapes, advanced characterizations, and evaluations of electrochemical performance.

 

Fluorinated Catholyte to Boost Lithium Primary Battery Energy, Dr. Haining Gao for Dr. Betar Gallant, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lithium primary batteries, with energy densities up to 800 Wh/kg in packaged cell, are critical for stand-alone long-duration applications where recharging is impractical, such as implantable medical devices, unmanned autonomous vehicles, and remote monitoring. Li−carbon monofluoride (Li−CF_x) battery, with a theoretical energy density of 2180 Wh/kg_CFx+Li, is the current energy-leading system. However, to meet the demand for longer battery life and/or smaller battery size and weight, battery chemistries that can surpass the energy density of Li–CF_x cell are greatly in need. Our research group has developed three generations of Li primary battery catholytes based on liquid fluorinated reactants (LFRs), which exhibit high specific energies (up to 1845 Wh/kg_LFR+Li) by utilizing fluoride bond reduction. In addition, the LFRs are also compatible with CF_x solid cathodes, allowing for the design of a solid-liquid hybrid battery system that substantially increases the energy of Li−CF_x cell, with a projected boost of more than 50%. Herein, we will introduce the molecular structural design evolution of the three generations of LFRs. The electrochemical performances of these reactants and the characterizations of their discharge products using SEM, XRD, XPS, and UV-vis spectroscopy will be discussed. We will also examine and compare projected cell-level metrics. Overall, this study provides new insights into redox mechanisms of fluoride bonds, showing potential to underpin future conversion battery chemistries to significantly improve cell-level energy metrics.

 

High energy lithium primary batteries for extreme conditions, Dr. Arden Johnson, Electrochem 

 

Emerging Technology for Producing High Energy Density Cathode Active Materials, Dr. Ozge Kahvecioglu, Argonne National Laboratory

There is an incentive to implement emerging synthesis technologies that can lower manufacturing costs and the negative environmental impacts of lithium-ion battery. This is primarily due to the rapid changes in cathode material chemistries in recent years. Co-precipitation, followed by high-temperature calcination, is the current method for producing high-quality cathode powders. Aqueous co-precipitation processes are known to deliver the best cation mixing, and the most common system used by the battery industry is the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). CSTRs have some drawbacks, such as undergoing very long stabilization times due to low mass and heat transfer rates. This presentation will focus on a new emerging synthesis technology, namely Taylor Vortex Reactor (TVR), for synthesizing cathode precursors, which overcomes several drawbacks we see in CSTRs techniques. As a case study, this talk will discuss high-energy-density cathode materials and their synthesis-performance relationships.

 

Chemistry-Agnostic Microstructure Design and Manufacturing of Cathode Materials, Dr. Feng Lin, Virginia Tech

 

Batteries for active implants must have maximum reliability and predictability over a lifetime than could be 15 years or longer. Over the last 50 years, the industry has seen incredible advances in technology which have led to smaller devices that last longer and support improved device functionality such as sensing and communication. That evolution is expected to continue with further reduction of battery size resulting in even smaller devices, less invasive implant procedures and proliferation of active implants in the digital health ecosystem and as treatments for additional disease states.

 

Transitioning toward more sustainable materials and manufacturing methods will be critical to continue supporting the rapidly expanding market for lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, energy storage applications are demanding higher power and energy densities than ever before. Due to its high operating voltage and cobalt-free chemistry, the spinel-type LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) cathode material is one of the candidates capable of addressing this combination of challenges; however, severe capacity degradation and poor interphase stability have thus far impeded the practical application of LNMO. This talk will cover recent progress toward addressing these challenges by leveraging a dry electrode coating process and advanced electrolytes developed in collaboration with Professor Shirley Meng’s research group.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are considered the future of battery technology, offering improved safety, higher energy density, and greater durability compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Despite this potential, SSBs have often been perceived as a technology that is constantly ten years away from widespread adoption. However, it is essential to understand the current status of SSBs, including their achievements and the challenges that need to be addressed for their wide-scale implementation. In this discussion, we will explore the history of a company that has been successfully deploying SSBs for over a decade and delve into their near-future prospects.

 

High energy Ni-rich cathode will play a key role in advanced Li-ion batteries, but it suffers from moisture sensitivity, side reactions and gas generation. Single crystalline Ni-rich cathode has a great potential to address the challenges present in its polycrystalline counterpart by reducing phase boundaries and materials surfaces. However, synthesis of high-performance single crystalline Ni-rich cathode is very challenging, not mentioning a fundamental linkage between over potential, microstructure and electrochemical behaviors in single crystalline Ni-rich cathodes. This talk will explore cost-effective synthesis approaches for industry manufacturing and propose validation strategies for scaled Ni-rich single crystals.

 

Mr. Oliver Hamann for Mr. Mickey Fortune, RadTech

 

Zheng Chen is Associate Professor in the Department of Nano and Chemical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.  His B.S. is from Tianjin University and Ph.D. from UCLA, both in Chemical Engineering.  He did postdoctoral research at Stanford before joining UCSD. His research focus is understanding the fundamental properties of electrochemical interfaces and structures as well as designing materials and processes for more efficient and sustainable energy storage and conversion. 

 

Marm Dixit joined the Emerging & Solid-State Battery Group at Oak Ridge in January 2021 as a Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellow.  At Oak Ridge his focus is evaluation of solid electrolyte candidates for solid-state batteries.  Among his recognitions are ECS Toyota & APS Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Awards, and a R&D100 Award.  His PhD from Vanderbilt University is in mechanical engineering.  Between graduate school and Oak Ridge he was an intern at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source, applying the beamline to image solid-state batteries.

 

Dr. Betar Gallant is an Associate Professor and Class of ’22 Career Development Chair in Mechanical Engineering at MIT.  She leads the Energy & Gas Conversions Laboratory.  Her research interests include advanced battery chemistries & materials for high-energy rechargeable and primary batteries, including fluorinated cathode conversion reactions, lithium and calcium metal anodes, and their interfaces.<

 

Haining Gao is a Kavanaugh postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Betar Gallant’s group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. She received her Ph.D. (’22) in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, and B.Eng. (’17) from Tsinghua University. Her research focuses on developing fluorinated catholytes for high-energy lithium primary batteries.

 

Arden Johnson holds the title of Fellow Scientist at Electrochem Solutions, Inc., located in Raynham, MA. Electrochem is a leading supplier of high energy power solutions for the oil-and-gas, oceanographic, and military markets. Arden holds a B.S. in chemistry from Yale University and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Stanford University. He has been engaged for more than thirty years in research on primary and secondary lithium batteries, with a particular focus on high-energy lithium-based batteries that operate under extreme conditions.

 

Kahvecioglu is a Senior Materials Scientist at ANL. She scales up chemical and thermochemical processes, using emerging synthesis technologies. She is the PI of three DOE, Vehicle Technologies Office funded projects, focused on cathode active materials optimization and production and process development of recycling/upcycling of spent battery materials. She has co-authored several peer reviewed publications, 4 issued patents, numerous patent applications and invention disclosures, and presentations. She also has an R&D100 (2012) award. She has a Materials Science and Engineering PhD from Istanbul Technical University, Turkiye.

 

Feng Lin is an Associate Professor of Chemistry, and the Leo and Melva Harris Faculty Fellow at Virginia Tech. He is also jointly appointed in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and affiliated with the Macromolecules Innovation Institute at Virginia Tech.  Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2016, Dr. Lin worked at QuantumScape Corporation as a Senior Member of the Technical Staff, and at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow.

 

Rubino is Senior Director of R&D at Integer Holdings Company,  responsible for technology development for active implants including batteries. Through more than 20 years has participated in development of multiple battery technology platforms (QHR, QMR, CFx, Li-ion) currently used in pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators and sensors. Robert holds an M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from SUNY at Buffalo, and a Bachelor’s degree in Medicinal Chemistry from SUNY at Buffalo. He has co-authored over 30 granted US patents. His current interests include miniaturization of active implants to enable next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics that provide improved patient outcomes.

 

Marshall A. Schroeder is a senior Materials Engineer in the Battery Science Branch at the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. His research is currently focused on ion-gated devices for neuromorphic computing and electrolyte development for advanced lithium and multivalent-ion battery chemistries for U.S. Army applications. Prior to joining DEVCOM ARL in 2016, during his Ph.D. studies in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland, he was awarded the Hendricks Energy Research Fellowship and researched vacuum-based materials synthesis, characterization, and testing of lithium oxygen and thin film solid state batteries.

 

Mr. Adrian Tylim, Senior Vice President of Business Development North America at Blue Solutions, building relationships with OEMs and global battery manufacturing companies.  He was part of NASA’s space station solar power module team.  He has an MS in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona and BS in Applied Physics from California State University.

 

Jie Xiao is a Battelle Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).  She leads the Battery Materials & System Group.  She holds a joint appointment with University of Washington and is a PNNL-UW distinguished faculty fellow.  Dr. Xiao’s research includes materials synthesis and scaleup, electrochemical kinetics to cell design and manufacturing for vehicle electrification and grid energy storage.  She is Deputy Director of DOE’s Innovation Center for Battery500 Consortium.  She directs the DOE sponsored Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase Consortium. 

 

Oliver Hamann represents RadTech International North America, host for the afternoon break.  RadTech is an industry association focused on the development and use of Ultraviolet and Electron Beam processing for industrial applications.  RadTech is promoting UV and EB curing technology in battery development.  Mr. Hamann is VP of Technology for Miltec UV, a member company of RadTech, who is developing environmentally friendly and cost effective technology using UV curable materials and UV lamp systems to replace processes requiring NMP.