Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage VII: Energy Storage with Emphasis on Batteries I
Sponsored by: TMS Functional Materials Division, TMS: Energy Conversion and Storage Committee
Program Organizers: Jung Choi, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Soumendra Basu, Boston University; Amit Pandey, Lockheed Martin Space; Paul Ohodnicki, University Of Pittsburgh; Kyle Brinkman, Clemson University; Partha Mukherjee, Purdue University; Surojit Gupta, University of North Dakota

Wednesday 2:00 PM
March 17, 2021
Room: RM 23
Location: TMS2021 Virtual

Session Chair: Partha Mukherjee, Purdue University; Pallab Barai, Argonne National Laboratory


2:00 PM  Cancelled
Lithium Solid State Batteries as Next Generation Energy Storage Devices: Pallab Barai1; Anh Ngo1; Larry Curtiss1; Venkat Srinivasan1; 1Argonne National Laboratory
    Enhanced energy density and safety are two major factors that make solid electrolytes more attractive than their liquid based counterparts in next generation lithium ion batteries. However, these devices are far from commercial implementation because of issues observed during synthesis and operation. The pitfalls associated with the bulk properties, such as, conductivity, have been resolved. Majority of the bottlenecks that need attention are related to the electrode-electrolyte interface that will be mostly covered during the presentation. Due to its non-conformability, solid electrolytes show poor contact with electrodes, which results in increased interfacial impedance. Formation and growth of lithium dendrites, and subsequent short circuit, is also a major issue. Inter-diffusion of ions between the electrode and electrolyte, and formation of resistive SEI and CEI layers tend to limit their performance. Techniques to mitigate these interfacial issues through incorporation of various coating layers will also be discussed in the presentation.

2:30 PM  
A Simple Method to Fabricate Cu6Sn5 Anodes for Lithium-ion Batteries: Xin Tan1; Qinfen Gu2; Stuart McDonald1; Kazuhiro Nogita1; 1University of Queensland; 2Australian Synchrotron, ANSTO
    The intermetallic Cu6Sn5 is a promising candidate material for lithium-ion battery anodes due to its higher theoretical storage capacity of 605 mAh g-1 vs. 372 mAh g-1 compared to traditional carbon-based anodes, combined with better safety profiles with lower risks of Li dendrite formation. One of the simplest methods of producing Cu6Sn5 is through a spontaneous reaction between a Cu current collector and a liquid Sn-based alloy. The fabrication time can be significantly shortened by alloying Ni in the Cu current collector, while the electrochemical performance of Cu6Sn5 anodes fabricated with this method can be enhanced by trace additions of a third element, altering the crystal orientation and atomic arrangements. Electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and synchrotron X-ray imaging are used to characterise the electrodes and reaction mechanisms, revealing the interplay between electrode microstructure, crystal structure and performance.

2:50 PM  
Bio-inspired, Machine Learning-enabled Vascular Structures for Fast-Charging Lithium-ion Batteries: Po-Chun Hsu1; 1Duke University
    Vascular structures are ubiquitous in nature. Examples such as roots, blood vessels, and lung alveoli are the outcomes of millions of years of evolution to balance between surface area and mass transport. For lithium-ion batteries, vascular channels in the electrodes also enhance the kinetics by ensuring the fresh electrolyte supply to achieve fast charging. However, it is challenging to find the right parameters out of the immense parameter hyperspace. In this talk, I will explain how to use deep learning and finite element modeling to predict the battery behavior and, more importantly, to inverse-design the parameters of vascular electrode structure. We can arbitrarily choose the performance criteria among charge capacity, cycle life, maximum local temperature, and maximum local stress. We envision this research will significantly broaden our design hyperspace of high-rate energy storage devices and provide an effective approach for solving multiscale and multiphysics problems in reactive flow systems.

3:10 PM  
Coating Yeast-derived Carbon Nanotubes on Separators to Suppress Li-S Battery Shuttle Effect: Jiajun He1; Zan Gao1; Xiaodong Li1; 1University of Virginia
    Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is an appealing energy storage technology because of its superior theoretical energy density, natural friendliness, and low cost over Li-ion battery. However, Li-S batteries often suffer from fast capacity decay, low energy density, and short lifespan due to the shuttle effect from polysulfides. Hybridizing sulfur with carbonaceous materials has been proven to be effective in solving these challenges and thus improving Li-S battery performance. In this work, yeast as a low-cost, renewable biocatalyst was used to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which was then coated on the separator in a Li-S battery to suppress the shuttle effect of polysulfides. The Li-S cell with the CNT coated separator exhibited significantly improved performance at high current density with an initial high specific capacity of 980 mA h g-1 and a well-retained specific capacity of ~450 mA h g-1 after 850 cycles.

3:30 PM  
Electrochemically Grown Energy Dense Cathodes for Li and Na Ion Battery: Arghya Patra1; Omar Kazi1; Jerome Davis1; Beniamin Zahiri1; Paul Braun1; 1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    We demonstrate an intermediate temperature (250-350°C) molten hydroxide mediated electrodeposition process to grow alkali ion (Li+, Na+) intercalated transition metal oxides across multiple transition metal chemistries (Li2MnO3, LiMnO2, LiNixMn1-xO4, LiCoO2, NaCoO2, NaMnO2). State-of-the-art synthesis route for layered oxide cathodes for Li and Na ion battery involves prolonged high temperature (>700°C) processing for long reaction times under high oxygen pressure, followed by slurry casting after mixing with binders and additives. Albeit the lowest reported synthesis temperature and reaction times, our electrodeposited oxide cathodes retain the key structural and electrochemical performance observed in the high-temperature bulk synthesized analogs. The binder-and-additive-free, tens of microns thick, >75% dense electrodeposits exhibit near theoretical gravimetric capacity, chemical diffusion coefficient of Li+/Na+ ions, and reversible areal capacity up to 2 mAh/cm2.

3:50 PM  
Lithium-sulfur Batteries Featuring High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte: Sheng-Heng Chung1; Yun-Chung Ho1; 1National Cheng Kung University
    As a promising post lithium-ion battery technology, lithium-sulfur battery cathodes suffer from the insulating sulfur and the irreversible polysulfide loss. These challenges restrict the development of a lithium-sulfur battery cathode with a sufficient sulfur loading and content of above 4.0 mg cm-2 and 65 wt.%, respectively, in a cell with a reasonable low electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio of less than 10.0 uL mg-1. Here, we present innovations on a carbon nanofiber electrode for enabling lithium-sulfur batteries to operate excellently with a high amount of sulfur (14.4 mg cm-2 and 70 wt.%) and a low electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio of 4.0 uL mg-1. The cells output a stable discharge capacity and Coulombic efficiency of above 650 mA h g-1 and 98%, respectively, for 100 cycles. In conclusion, the electrochemical enhancements and engineering designs of the cathode substrates make them advanced cathode designs for the development of high-loading/content sulfur cathodes in high-energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries.

4:10 PM  
Mesoscale Origin of Morphological Instability in All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries: Bairav Sabarish Vishnugopi1; Partha Mukherjee1; 1Purdue University
    Lithium metal anodes have been regarded as a pivotal component of next-generation battery systems owing to their intrinsic enhancement in power and energy densities. Pairing the lithium anode with a solid electrolyte promises to combat the safety and performance issues posed by its morphological instability in liquid electrolytes. However, the presence of grain boundaries, surface defects and a stochastic solid electrolyte microstructure lead to a non-homogeneous set of electrochemical-mechanical interactions at the solid-solid interface, triggering local modes of failure in the system. In this work, a mechanistic insight into the origin and pathways of metal penetration in all-solid-state lithium batteries will be presented.