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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

From K‐O 2 to K‐Air Batteries: Realizing Superoxide Batteries on the Basis of Dry Ambient Air

Abstract Although using an air cathode is the goal for superoxide‐based potassium‐oxygen (K‐O 2 ) batteries, prior studies were limited to pure oxygen. Now, the first K‐air (dry) battery based on reversible superoxide electrochemistry is presented. Spectroscopic and gas chromatography analyses are applied to evaluate the reactivity of KO 2 in ambient air. Although KO 2 reacts with water vapor and CO 2 to form KHCO 3 , it is highly stable in dry air. With this knowledge, rechargeable K‐air (dry) batteries were successfully demonstrated by employing dry air cathode. The reduced partial pressure of oxygen plays a critical role in boosting battery lifespan. With a more stable environment for the K anode, a K‐air (dry) battery delivers over 100 cycles (>500 h) with low round‐trip overpotentials and high coulombic efficiencies as opposed to traditional K‐O 2 battery that fails early. This work sheds light on the benefits and restrictions of employing the air cathode in superoxide‐based batteries.

Qin, Lei↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy and environmental aspects in recycling lithium-ion batteries: Concept of Battery Identity Global Passport

The emergence and dominance of lithium-ion batteries in expanding markets such as consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage are driving enormous interests and investments in the battery sector. The explosively growing demand is generating a huge number of spent lithium-ion batteries, thereby urging the development of cost-effective and environmentally sustainable recycling technologies to manage end-of-life batteries. Currently, the recycling of end-of-life batteries is still in its infancy, with many fundamental and technological hurdles to overcome. Here in this paper, the authors provide an overview of the current state of battery recycling by outlining and evaluating the incentives, key issues, and recycling strategies. The authors highlight a direct recycling strategy through discussion of its benefits, processes, and challenges. Perspectives on the future energy and environmental science of this important field is also discussed with respect to a new concept introduced as the Battery Identity Global Passport (BIGP).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Life-cycle analysis of battery metal recycling with lithium recovery from a spent lithium-ion battery

Demand for critical materials (nickel, cobalt, manganese [NCM], and lithium) for use in batteries is increasing rapidly due to the expansion of the battery-electric vehicles market. Battery metal recycling (BMR) is an important technology that can potentially realize environmental and economic benefits in cathode active material (LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 ) production using recycled materials. While current major battery recycling technologies recover cathode materials (NCM) and other metals (steel, aluminum, copper, etc.) from the spent battery, the lithium (Li) recovery rate is less than 1% in the world. In this study, we analyze the environmental benefits of a BMR process that recovers lithium in the form of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH∙H 2 O) along with other cathode materials. Using life-cycle analysis (LCA), we evaluate the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, criteria air pollutant emissions, and water consumption of the new BMR technology in terms of lithium hydroxide production and cathode active material production. The LCA results show that the life-cycle GHG emissions recycled LiOH are 37–72% lower than those of virgin LiOH production from Chilean brine and Australian ore, respectively. In addition, the life-cycle GHG emissions of NCM811 produced using the recycled materials are 40–48% lower compared to virgin cathode active material production. Furthermore, recovering lithium from the spent batteries reduces associated air pollutant emissions and water consumption relative to using the virgin materials or materials from other recycling technologies without LiOH recovery.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Voltage-Based Strategies for Preventing Battery Degradation under Diverse Fast-Charging Conditions

Maintaining safe operating conditions is a key challenge for high-performance lithium-ion battery applications. The lithium-plating reaction remains a risk during charging, but limited studies consider the highly variable charging conditions possible in commercial cells. Here we combine pseudo-2D electrochemical modeling with data visualization methods to reveal important relationships between the measurable cell voltage and difficult-to-predict Li-plating onset criteria. An extensively validated model is used to compute Li plating for thousands of multistep charging conditions spanning diverse rates, temperatures, states-of-charge, and cell aging. Here we observe an empirical cell operating voltage limit below which plating does not occur across all conditions, and this limit varies with the battery state-of-charge and aging. A model sensitivity analysis also indicates that, when comparing two charging voltage profiles, the capacity difference at 4.0 V correlates well with the difference in the plating onset capacity. These results encourage simple strategies for Li-plating prevention that are complementary to existing battery controls.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Life‐Cycle Assessment Considerations for Batteries and Battery Materials

Abstract Rechargeable batteries are necessary for the decarbonization of the energy systems, but life‐cycle environmental impact assessments have not achieved consensus on the environmental impacts of producing these batteries. Nonetheless, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool to inform the development of better‐performing batteries with reduced environmental burden. This review explores common practices in lithium‐ion battery LCAs and makes recommendations for how future studies can be more interpretable, representative, and impactful. First, LCAs should focus analyses of resource depletion on long‐term trends toward more energy and resource‐intensive material extraction and processing rather than treating known reserves as a fixed quantity being depleted. Second, future studies should account for extraction and processing operations that deviate from industry best‐practices and may be responsible for an outsized share of sector‐wide impacts, such as artisanal cobalt mining. Third, LCAs should explore at least 2–3 battery manufacturing facility scales to capture size‐ and throughput‐dependent impacts such as dry room conditioning and solvent recovery. Finally, future LCAs must transition away from kg of battery mass as a functional unit and instead make use of kWh of storage capacity and kWh of lifetime energy throughput.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Synergistic effects of chlorine substitution in sulfide electrolyte solid state batteries

All-solid-state battery is considered as one of the most promising competitors to Li ion batteries. Two widely known performance metrics for solid electrolytes, among others, are ionic conductivity and stability. In this study, it is found that both can be improved by the synergistic effects of chlorine substitution in sulfide-based solid electrolytes. Particularly, instabilities arising from both bulk decompositions and interfacial reactions to electrodes can be better inhibited in the chlorine substituted sulfide solid electrolytes through the increased susceptibility to the mechanical constriction induced enhancement of voltage stability. As a result, the stability window of some chlorine-rich Li-argyrodites can be systematically higher than some other chlorine-deficient or chlorine-free electrolytes, especially under the implementation of the mechanical constriction battery assembly and test conditions. Thus, a solid-state battery system of 4 V to 5 V-class cathodes paired with lithium metal anode is demonstrated using these chlorine-rich Li-argyrodites without additional coatings. Furthermore, since Cl composition modulates the stability and instability of Li-argyrodite at low voltages, it allows us to design a multilayer configuration with a hierarchy of Li metal stabilities to demonstrate the stable cycling at relatively high current densities for solid-state batteries. It is found that a moderate Cl composition in the electrolyte is the best to inhibit Li dendrite penetration as the central electrolyte layer, emphasizing a slightly increased “instability” as the hidden performance metric of relevance here, in addition to the two well-known metrics of stability and ionic conductivity. The understanding of the chlorine substitution effect in sulfide electrolytes provides an important design principle for all-solid-state batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Challenges and future perspectives on sodium and potassium ion batteries for grid-scale energy storage

The energy crisis and environmental pollution require the advancement of large-scale energy storage techniques. Among the various commercialized technologies, batteries have attracted enormous attention due to their relatively high energy density and long cycle life. Nevertheless, the limited supply and uneven distribution of lithium minerals, as well as their high cost, has greatly hindered the application of lithium-ion batteries in large-scale energy storage. Therefore, building next-generation alternative rechargeable batteries that feature low cost, long service life, and high safety is of the utmost importance. Over the past several years, we have witnessed many successful research outcomes for sodium and potassium ion batteries (SIBs and PIBs) in regard to electrode and electrolyte materials. In this Perspective, we summarize the current developments on SIBs/PIBs and their challenges when facing practical applications, including their cost, energy density, ion diffusivity in solids/electrolytes/interphases, cycle life, and safety concerns. Furthermore, we provide an overview of strategies to overcome the remaining challenges for achieving better electrochemical performance. Finally, we outline several possible directions for the future development of these two battery chemistries, with the hope of aiding the transition from the laboratory to next-generation practical applications for SIBs/PIBs batteries in grid-scale energy storage.

Energy Storage↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electrolyte-phobic Surface for the Next-Generation Nanostructured Battery Electrodes

Nanostructured electrodes are among the most important candidates rationally designed to enable high capacity battery chemistry. Nanostructures can solve issues such as the volume change and mechanical fragmentations. However, the high surface area they usually possess would decrease the Coulombic efficiencies, since the side chemical reactions scale with surface area. Moreover, electrodes comprised of nanomaterials have significant intakes of liquid electrolytes, which reduces the overall energy density and increases the cost of the battery. Here we present a new strategy of limiting effective surface area by introducing an “electrolyte-phobic surface”. In this study, a porous Si anode functions as a model material to demonstrate this concept. Silicon boasts high theoretical capacity, but experiences large volume change during its lithiation and delithiation processes. Porous Si can address this volume change problem with the buffer effect of its inner pores. However, porous silicon shows low initial Coulombic efficiencies and high irreversible lithium loss, owing to its intrinsic high surface area. In this report, a covalently linked perfluorinated surface coating layer on porous Si particles serves as an electrolyte-phobic protection layer, minimizing the accessible surface area for the electrolytes, decreasing the side reactions between the electrolyte and Si surface, and thus significantly enhancing the initial Coulombic efficiencies, up to ~88% compared to ~60% for the pristine porous silicon. Meanwhile, the electrolyte-phobic protection layer of Si particles keeps the silicon surface compatible with the conventional polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder, which helps to stabilize the Si electrode for long-term battery cycling.

Qian, Chenxi↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dual Functional Ni3S2@Ni Core-Shell Nanoparticles Decorating Nanoporous Carbon as Cathode Scaffolds for Lithium-Sulfur Battery with Lean Electrolytes

Lithium-sulfur batteries are very promising for next-generation energy storage. However, most studies use flooded electrolytes to achieve a high specific capacity at the expense of lowering the specific energy. Understanding lithium-sulfur battery performance with lean electrolytes is highly desirable. Herein, a modified Pechini method is developed to synthesize a nanoporous carbon host decorated with Ni3S2@Ni particles. Such a cathode delivers enhanced specific capacities with extended cycling life in lean electrolytes, due to the dual functions of the Ni3S2 shell, which can both facilitate reaction kinetics and promote electrolyte wetting. This work highlights a strategy to rationally design cathodes for highenergy lithium-sulfur batteries.

Zhang, Yulun↗
DOE OSTI2024

Template Assisted Lithium Superoxide Growth for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Developing batteries with energy densities comparable to internal combustion technology is essential for a worldwide transition to electrified transportation. Li-O2 batteries are seen as the ‘holy grail’ of battery technologies since they have the highest theoretical energy density of all battery technologies. Current lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries suffer from large charge overpotentials related to electronic resistivity of the insulating lithium peroxide (Li2O2) discharge product. One potential solution is the formation and stabilization of a lithium superoxide (LiO2) discharge intermediate that exhibits good electronic conductivity. However, LiO2 is reported to be unstable at ambient temperature despite its favorable formation energy at -1.0 eV/atom. In this paper, based on our recent work on the development of cathode materials for aprotic lithium oxygen batteries including two intermetallic compounds, LiIr3 and LiIr, that are found to form good template interfaces with LiO2, a simple goodness of fit R factor to gauge how well a template surface structure can support LiO2 growth is developed. The R factor is a quantitative measurement to calculate the geometric difference in the unit cells of specific Miller Index 2D planes of the template surface and LiO2. Using this as a guide, the R factors for LiIr3, LiIr, and La2NiO4+, are found to be good. This guide is attested by simple extension to other noble metal intermetallics with electrochemical cycling data including LiRh3, LiRh, and Li2Pd. Finally, the template concept is extended to main group elements and the R factors for LiO2 (111) and Li2Ca suggest that Li2Ca is a possible candidate for the template assisted LiO2 growth strategy.

Intermetallics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Role of inner solvation sheath within salt–solvent complexes in tailoring electrode/electrolyte interphases for lithium metal batteries

Functional electrolyte is the key to stabilizing the highly reductive lithium (Li) metal anode (LMA) and high voltage cathode for long life, high energy-density rechargeable Li metal batteries (LMBs). However, fundamental knowledge of the interaction principles between reactive electrodes and electrolytes is still limited. Recently localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) are emerging as promising electrolyte design strategies for LMBs. They can also serve as an ideal platform for understanding the reactivity characteristics of the inner solvation sheath on electrode surfaces due to their unique solvation structures. Here, we study the effects of a series of LHCEs with model electrolyte solvents (carbonate, sulfone, phosphate and ether) in high voltage LMBs. Varied electrode stabilities exhibited in different LHCEs indicate the intricate synergies between the salt and the solvent on electrode surfaces. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal an intriguing general rule that the strong interactions between the salt and the solvent in the inner solvation sheath promote their intermolecular proton/charge transfer reactions, which dictates the properties of the electrode/electrolyte interphases and thus the battery performances.

Solvation sheath, salt-solvent complex, electrode/↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Low-Cost Durable Na-FeCl2 Battery with Ultrahigh Rate Capability

Na-based batteries have long been regarded as an inexpensive, sustainable candidate for large-scale stationary energy storage applications. Unfortunately, the market penetration of conventional Na-NiCl2 batteries is approaching its limit for several reasons, including limited rate capability and high Ni cost. Herein, a Na-FeCl2 battery operating at 190 °C is reported that allows a capacity output of 116 mAh g-1 at an extremely high current density of 33.3 mA cm-2 (˜0.6C). The superior rate performance is rooted in the intrinsically fast kinetics of the Fe/Fe2+ redox reaction. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that a small amount of Ni additive (10 mol%) effectively mitigates capacity fading of the Fe/NaCl cathode caused by Fe particle pulverization during long-term cycling. The modified Fe/Ni cathode exhibits excellent cycling stability, maintaining a discharge energy density of over 295 Wh kg-1 for 200 cycles at 10 mA cm-2 (˜C/5).

Zhan, Xiaowen↗
DOE OSTI2023

A novel method for co-optimizing battery sizing and charging strategy of battery electric bus fleets: An application to the city of Paris

Battery-electric buses (BEBs) are a promising technology for replacing diesel buses and reducing their environmental burden. However, their charging process can take several hours, depending on the charging technique and strategy, making them susceptible to schedule disruptions. Furthermore, the selection of the charging strategy and battery size can increase the total capital investment and operational expenses of a BEB fleet, which is a major obstacle to its adoption. Therefore, to minimize the total cost of ownership (TCO) and prevent schedule disruptions, it is essential to establish a well-defined approach to determine an appropriate battery size and charging strategy for BEB fleets. This paper presents a method for reducing the TCO of BEB by determining the optimal battery size and charging strategy for each bus while satisfying operating constraints. The method involves a two-step optimization algorithm that uses Dynamic Programming and Genetic Algorithm. Further, the study applies this approach to the bus fleet serving line 21 in Paris and generates the optimal battery sizing, charging strategy, and required charging infrastructure. The results indicate that 100 kWh batteries offer the best trade-off between capital and operational expenditure for the fleet deployment if used with 65–85 kW chargers at bus terminals.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effects of fluorinated solvents on electrolyte solvation structures and electrode/electrolyte interphases for lithium metal batteries

Electrolyte is very critical to the performance of the high-voltage lithium (Li) metal battery (LMB), which is one of the most attractive candidates for the next generation high-density energy storage systems. Electrolyte formulation and structure determine the physical properties of the electrolytes and their interfacial chemistries on the electrode surfaces. Localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) outperform state-of-the-art carbonate electrolytes in many aspects in LMBs due to their unique solvation structure. Types of fluorinated co-solvents used in LHCEs are investigated here in searching for the most suitable diluent for high concentration electrolytes (HCEs). Non-solvating solvents (including fluorinated ethers, fluorinated borate and fluorinated orthoformate) added in HCEs enable the formation of LHCEs with high-concentration solvation structures. However, low solvating fluorinated carbonate will coordinate with Li+ ions and form a second solvation shell or a pseudo-LHCE which diminishes the benefits of LHCE. In addition, it is evident that the diluent has significant influence on the electrode/electrolyte interphases (EEIs) beyond retaining the high-concentration solvation structures. Diluent molecules surrounding the high-concentration clusters could accelerate or decelerate the anion decomposition through co-participation of diluent decomposition in the EEI formation. The varied interphase features lead to significantly different battery-performance. This study points out the importance of diluents and their synergetic effects with the conductive salt and the solvating solvent in designing LHCEs. These systematic comparisons and fundamental insights into LHCEs using different types of fluorinated solvents can guide further development of advanced electrolytes for high-voltage LMBs.

Cao, Xia↗
DOE OSTI2020

Heat Generation versus Heat Dissipation Maps for Batteries (Battery Safety Maps) [SWR-21-27]

NREL's Battery Safety Map (Heat Generation versus Heat Dissipation Maps for Batteries) generates a response surface that is grouped into regions where the battery is deemed safe from the propagation of thermal runaway, those where an engineering solution would render the battery safe, and finally instances where thermal runaway is inevitable. The demarcation for the different regions is provided by specifications or constraints imposed by the end user. NREL's Battery Safety Map is a user-defined subroutine that sweeps through a set of parameters describing the operating conditions and short-circuit scenarios for battery safety simulations. For each run, the electrochemical-thermal model implementing reaction kinetics and gas generation are run to evaluate the amount of heat generated. A thermal model then captures the amount of heat dissipation based on boundary conditions defined (e.g., forced convection, constant temperature at the surface, etc.). Based on the rate of heat transfer and the amount of heat generated, each run is classified into "safe," "mitigation possible," or "unsafe" zones. These categories are defined based on constraints or tolerance specifications provided by the end user.

Santhanagopalan, Shriram↗
DOE OSTI2026

Freeze It or Leave It? Evaluating the Role of Cryo-Electron Microscopy in Battery Research

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) continues to gain prominence in materials science, particularly in battery research where it has enabled high-resolution, multimodal characterization of electrode materials and interfaces that otherwise degrade quickly under electron beam irradiation. But as anyone who has attempted cryo-EM techniques knows, freezing comes at a cost; cryo-EM experiments are time-consuming, highly sensitive, and carry an increased risk of artifacts due to issues such as frost contamination. Thus, when planning new characterization of battery materials or other beam-sensitive samples, it is critical to consider whether (and which) cryo-EM techniques are appropriate, based on study goals and an understanding of electron beam-sample interactions. Here we review such considerations for battery materials to elucidate the questions of when, why, and how to freeze to achieve high-quality characterization.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Battery cell and n situ battery electrode analysis method

Battery cells are provided that can include: a housing defining a chamber having a fluid inlet and outlet; an anode at one side of the housing; a cathode at another side of the housing opposing and spaced apart from the anode a sufficient amount to allow for electrolyte between the anode and cathode; and the other side of the chamber defined by an ion permeable member. Methods for in situ battery electrode analysis are provided and these methods can include: providing a battery cell having an anode and a cathode; exposing the battery cell to an ion beam while the battery cell is operational to form secondary ions; and detecting the secondary ions to analyze the battery.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗