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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2022

Lithium-ion Battery Strain Gauge Monitoring and Depth of Discharge Estimation

Lithium-ion battery diagnostics and prognostics rely on measurements of electrical impedance, capacity, and voltage to infer the internal state of the battery. Mechanical changes to the cell structure represent an additional measure of the battery’s state because these changes are related to the overall battery health. As lithium-ion batteries are charged and discharged, lithium ions are inserted or removed from the anode and cathode, a process called intercalation and de-intercalation. As lithium ions intercalate and de-intercalate, they can cause changes to the lattice of the electrode particles, resulting in volumetric changes. These volumetric changes cause mechanical stresses and strains on the lithium-ion battery electrodes, and subsequently, the whole cell’s thickness varies as it is charged and discharged. This paper presents a study on the use of surface-mounted strain gauges for in-situ measurement of structural changes to lithium-ion batteries, along with a characterization of the unit-to-unit differences in strain response. A neural network modeling structure is then used to predict the battery’s depth of discharge under dynamic discharge conditions.

Lithium-ion batteries, depth of discharge, strain ↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ultrahigh Mass Loading Batteries with Holey Graphene-Enabled Dry-Pressed Cathode Architectures

Holey graphene is a structural derivative of graphene with arrays of nanometer-sized, through-thickness holes across the lateral surface of the atomically thin nanosheet. It has been widely acknowledged that the presence of holes improves ion transport through the graphene planes, making holey graphene an ideal electrode material for electrochemical energy storage. We recently discovered another unique attribute of holey graphene in that it can be directly compressed from powder into electrode in a single step without the use of solvent or binder. In addition to neat holey graphene electrodes, composite electrodes with holey graphene as an ultralightweight scaffold host filled with various active materials can also be readily prepared in a similar solvent-free and binder-free fashion. The active materials can be metal-containing catalysts for lithium-oxygen batteries, lithium-ion battery electrode materials, or high energy density components such as sulfur. Compared to the conventional slurry-based process, the dry-press method is comparably much more suitable toward the facile and scalable preparation of ultrahigh mass loading electrodes with ultrahigh areal capacities.

holey graphene, cathode scaffold, lithium metal, h↗
NASA NTRS2004

LiCoO2 and SnO2 Thin Film Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Battery Applications

There is an increasing need for small dimension, ultra-lightweight, portable power supplies due to the miniaturization of consumer electronic devices. Rechargeable thin film lithium-ion batteries have the potential to fulfill the growing demands for micro-energy storage devices. However, rechargeable battery technology and fabrication processes have not kept paced with the advances made in device technology. Economical fabrication methods lending excellent microstructural and compositional control in the thin film battery electrodes have yet to be fully developed. In this study, spin coating has been used to demonstrate the flexibility of the approach to produce both anode (SnO2) and cathode (LiCoO2) thin films. Results on the microstructure crystal structure and electrochemical properties of the thin film electrodes are described and discussed.

Maranchi, Jeffrey P.↗
NASA NTRS2023

3D Printed TiO 2 Negative Electrodes for Sodium-Ion and Lithium-ion Batteries using Vat Photopolymerization

Additive manufacturing, also called 3D printing, represents a unique approach to develop three dimensional shape-conformable batteries with enhanced electrodes, specific surface area, improved ion diffusion, and power. For the first time, the formulation of a composite photocurable resin loaded with battery electrochemically active components was designed to feed a vat photopolymerization (VPP) 3D printer. In direct alignment with NASA’s Artemis mission goals to develop sustainable lunar energy storage infrastructure necessary to support long-term human operations, TiO 2 was here selected as an active material for the negative electrode for sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries due to its abundance on the lunar surface. The TiO 2 loading in the composite photocurable resin and in the resulting VPP-printed negative electrode was increased as high as possible to enhance the electrochemical performance, while simultaneously ensuring the printability and acceptable mechanical strength for sample handling. The effect of thermal post-processing on the electrical, electrochemical and mechanical performance is reported. Finally, a configurational study is implemented to identify the impact of two different electrode designs (cubic and gyroid lattice unit cells) on the electrochemical performance. This work addresses the difficulties related to the introduction of solid particles within a VPP photocurable resin and the need for a compromise between the electrochemical performances and printability to obtain fully functional VPP-printed electrodes.

sodium-ion battery↗
NASA NTRS2012

An Integrated, Layered-Spinel Composite Cathode for Energy Storage Applications

At low operating temperatures, commercially available electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries do not fully meet the energy and power requirements for NASA fs exploration activities. The composite cathode under development is projected to provide the required energy and power densities at low temperatures and its usage will considerably reduce the overall volume and weight of the battery pack. The newly developed composite electrode material can provide superior electrochemical performance relative to a commercially available lithium cobalt system. One advantage of using a composite cathode is its higher energy density, which can lead to smaller and lighter battery packs. In the current program, different series of layered-spinel composite materials with at least two different systems in an integrated structure were synthesized, and the volumetric and gravimetric energy densities were evaluated. In an integrated network of a composite electrode, the effect of the combined structures is to enhance the capacity and power capabilities of the material to levels greater than what is possible in current state-of-the-art cathode systems. The main objective of the current program is to implement a novel cathode material that meets NASA fs low temperature energy density requirements. An important feature of the composite cathode is that it has at least two components (e.g., layered and spinel) that are structurally integrated. The layered material by itself is electrochemically inactive; however, upon structural integration with a spinel material, the layered material can be electrochemically activated, thereby delivering a large amount of energy with stable cycling. A key aspect of the innovation has been the development of a scalable process to produce submicronand micron-scale particles of these composite materials. An additional advantage of using such a composite electrode material is its low irreversible loss (.5%), which is primarily due to the unique activation of the composite. High columbic efficiency (greater than 99%) upon cycling may indicate the formation of a stable SEI (solid-electrolyte interface) layer, which can contribute to long cycle life. The innovation in the current program, when further developed, will enable the system to maintain high energy and power densities at low temperatures, improve efficiency, and further stabilize and enhance the safety of the cell.

Hagh, Nader↗
NASA NTRS2007

Evaluation and Testing of Commercially-Available Carbon Nanotubes as Negative Electrodes for Lithium Ion Cells

Rechargeable lithium ion (Li-ion) battery technology offers significant performance advantages over the nickel-based technologies used for energy storage for the majority of NASA's missions. Specifically Li-ion technology offers a threefold to fourfold increase in gravimetric and volumetric energy densities and produces voltages in excess of three times the value of typical nickel-based battery systems. As part of the Advanced Battery Technology program at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), a program on the evaluation of anodes for Li-ion cells and batteries was conducted. This study focused on the feasibility of using carbon nanotubes as anodes in Li-Ion cells. Candidate materials from multiple sources were evaluated. Their performance was compared to a standard anode comprised of mesocarbon microbeads. In all cases, the standard MCMB electrode exhibited superior performance. The details and results of the study are presented.

Britton, Doris L.↗
NASA NTRS2015

High-Capacity, High-Voltage Composite Oxide Cathode Materials

This SBIR project integrates theoretical and experimental work to enable a new generation of high-capacity, high-voltage cathode materials that will lead to high-performance, robust energy storage systems. At low operating temperatures, commercially available electrode materials for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries do not meet energy and power requirements for NASA's planned exploration activities. NEI Corporation, in partnership with the University of California, San Diego, has developed layered composite cathode materials that increase power and energy densities at temperatures as low as 0 degC and considerably reduce the overall volume and weight of battery packs. In Phase I of the project, through innovations in the structure and morphology of composite electrode particles, the partners successfully demonstrated an energy density exceeding 1,000 Wh/kg at 4 V at room temperature. In Phase II, the team enhanced the kinetics of Li-ion transport and electronic conductivity at 0 degC. An important feature of the composite cathode is that it has at least two components that are structurally integrated. The layered material is electrochemically inactive; however, upon structural integration with a spinel material, the layered material can be electrochemically activated and deliver a large amount of energy with stable cycling.

Hagh, Nader M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Impact of Charge Methodology Upon the Performance of Lithium Ion Cells

This viewgraph gives an overview on the impact of charge methodology upon the performance of lithium ion cells. Charge characteristics are given on the following: (1) lithium ion prototype cells, including charge rate characteristics at different temperatures, the effect of charge methodology upon cycle life performance, the effect of charge voltage upon cell performance; (2) three-electrode cells; and (3) lithium-ion eight-cell batteries.

Smart, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Impact of Charge Methodology upon the Performance of Lithium Ion Cells

This viewgraph gives an overview on the impact of charge methodology upon the performance of lithium ion cells. Charge characteristics are given on the following: (1) lithium ion prototype cells, including charge rate characteristics at different temperatures, the effect of charge methodology upon cycle life performance, the effect of charge voltage upon cell performance; (2) three-electrode cells; and (3) lithium-ion eight-cell batteries.

lithium ion cells↗
NASA NTRS2014

Mitigating Thermal Runaway Risk in Lithium Ion Batteries

The JSC/NESC team has successfully demonstrated Thermal Runaway (TR) risk reduction in a lithium ion battery for human space flight by developing and implementing verifiable design features which interrupt energy transfer between adjacent electrochemical cells. Conventional lithium ion (li-Ion) batteries can fail catastrophically as a result of a single cell going into thermal runaway. Thermal runaway results when an internal component fails to separate electrode materials leading to localized heating and complete combustion of the lithium ion cell. Previously, the greatest control to minimize the probability of cell failure was individual cell screening. Combining thermal runaway propagation mitigation design features with a comprehensive screening program reduces both the probability, and the severity, of a single cell failure.

Darcy, Eric↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Layered Electrode Architectures Enabled by Holey Graphene Hosts

Battery electrodes are typically prepared using a slurry-based method, where high boiling point organic solvents are typically used with a polymer binder to disperse active electrode materials and conductive carbon additives followed by casting into current collector sheets. In this process, the use of organic solvents are environmentally hazardous, energy intensive, and time-consuming, while polymeric binders add weight and can undergo parasitic reactions during battery cycling. Here we discuss the use of a unique conductive carbon nanomaterial, namely holey graphene, as a multifunctional host that can be processed via a facile, solvent-free, binder-free, cold pressing method to prepare electrodes with unique architectures. This approach can accommodate a broad range of battery chemistries, such as lithium oxygen/carbon dioxide (Li-O2/CO2), lithium sulfur/selenium (Li-S/Se), and various lithium ion chemistries. The successful use of dry, cold compression allows the convenient modification of electrode mass loading with unique architectures containing active materials randomly mixed or layered with single or multiple layers of one or more active materials. In the conventional slurry-based electrode fabrication method, it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve such layered architectures. In particular, the layered electrode architectures from the dry, cold press approach are easy to fabricate without significantly sacrificing device performance, and are amenable to continuous roll-to-roll dry processing. In addition, these architectures offer unprecedented perspectives on the battery material loading vs. utilization efficiency, as well as enabling unique characterization opportunities to advance mechanistic understanding of various battery chemistries. Potential applications of this unique electrode fabrication approach for solid-state batteries will also be discussed.

holey graphene, batteries, electrode architecture,↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dry Pressed, High Areal Loading Electrode Architectures Enabled by Holey Graphene

For future electric aviation, advanced battery cell chemistry beyond lithium ion batteries are required to meet mission requirements. High energy density battery concepts such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and lithiumoxygen (Li-O2) chemistries are being intensively investigated to realize their extraordinary theoretical promise in terms of energy density. Most fabrication methods of cathodes for these novel battery chemistries followed a conventional approach. In this approach, the active material is mixed with a polymer binder and a conductive carbon in a high-boiling organic solvent to form a slurry, followed by casting onto a current collector and solvent evaporation. The process is usually lengthy and poses environmental hazards due to the use of organic solvents.

Lin Yi↗
NASA NTRS2015

Flexible Hybrid Battery/Pseudocapacitor

Batteries keep devices working by utilizing high energy density, however, they can run down and take tens of minutes to hours to recharge. For rapid power delivery and recharging, high-power density devices, i.e., supercapacitors, are used. The electrochemical processes which occur in batteries and supercapacitors give rise to different charge-storage properties. In lithium ion (Li+) batteries, the insertion of Li+, which enables redox reactions in bulk electrode materials, is diffusion controlled and can be slow. Supercapacitor devices, also known as electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) store charge by adsorption of electrolyte ions onto the surface of electrode materials. No redox reactions are necessary, so the response to changes in potential without diffusion limitations is rapid and leads to high power. However, the charge in EDLCs is confined to the surface, so the energy density is lower than that of batteries.

Tucker, Dennis S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development of Carbon Anode for Rechargeable Lithium Cells

Conventionally, rechargeable lithium cells employ a pure lithium anode. To overcome problems associated with the pure lithium electrode, it has been proposed to replace the conventional electrode with an alternative material having a greater stability with respect to the cell electrolytes. For this reason, several graphitic and coke based carbonaceous materials were evaluated as candidate anode materials...In this paper, we summarize the results of the studies on Li-ion cell development.

rechargeable batteries batteries lithium cells lit↗
NASA NTRS2007

A Synopsis of Interfacial Phenomena in Lithium-Based Polymer Electrolyte Electrochemical Cells

The interfacial regions between electrode materials, electrolytes and other cell components play key roles in the overall performance of lithium-based batteries. For cell chemistries employing lithium metal, lithium alloy or carbonaceous materials (i.e., lithium-ion cells) as anode materials, a "solid electrolyte interphase" (SEI) layer forms at the anode/electrolyte interface, and the properties of this "passivating" layer significantly affect the practical cell/battery quality and performance. A thin, ionically-conducting SEI on the electrode surface can beneficially reduce or eliminate undesirable side reactions between the electrode and the electrolyte, which can result in a degradation in cell performance. The properties and phenomena attributable to the interfacial regions existing at both anode and cathode surfaces can be characterized to a large extent by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and related techniques. The intention of the review herewith is to support the future development of lithium-based polymer electrolytes by providing a synopsis of interfacial phenomena that is associated with cell chemistries employing either lithium metal or carbonaceous "composite" electrode structures which are interfaced with polymer electrolytes (i.e., "solvent-free" as well as "plasticized" polymer-binary salt complexes and single ion-conducting polyelectrolytes). Potential approaches to overcoming poor cell performance attributable to interfacial effects are discussed.

Baldwin, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Predicting Thermal Response in a Li-ion Cell on a UAV Fight Profile

As the energy storage devices continue to "pack" more energy in a small space, any damage, battery component failure, manufacturing defect, or electrically abusing the battery can lead to catastrophic thermal runaway events. A catastrophic thermal event in a cell leads to high temperature, in some instances spewing of battery materials due to gas development from side reactions initiated due to high internal temperatures. Also, a thermal runaway event can propagate from a single "failed" cell to the pack in a battery pack, leading to a more significant event. Mitigating a thermal runaway event is important in the commercial and automotive sectors. However, preventing such events in an electric aircraft (or air taxis) is paramount due to the lack of alternatives in the event of a failure. Battery prognostics algorithms allow the prediction of state-of-charge (SOC) and end-of-life (EOL) of a Li-ion battery in a UAV (unmanned air vehicle) [1]. For this presentation, we will extend this two-level battery predictive algorithm to predict SOC, EOL, and estimated maximum temperature during a simulated flight. The model is extended by integrating a lumped physics-driven thermal model for high current densities [2]. The parameters used to control SOC and EOL are maximum storable charge, time constant for Li-ion diffusivity in the carbon particles, and internal cell resistance. Cycling leads to an increase in the heat generated by an aged Li-ion cell with a LiyCoO2 (LCO) cathode and a LixC6 (MCMB) anode. The aging of a cell leads to increase in SEI layer thickness, the diffusion time for the lithium ions inside the electrodes, and the local reaction rates, in addition to the thermodynamic abuse caused by fixed cycling voltages controlled by a Battery Management System. As the battery ages, the cell resistance increases, while the onset temperature of the thermal runaway decreases (depends on the cell chemistry and cell abuse history). Any large deviation of the cell temperature from the estimated (expected) value can identify a faulty cell. Since SEI decomposition has the lowest onset temperature in the series of reactions leading to thermal runaway, the model considers the self-heating rate of the SEI decomposition as onset temperature (similar to Ref. [3]). The parameters in the Arrhenius equation for the SEI heating rate depend on the number of cycles, the cell's operating temperature, and the cell's abuse history [4,5]. Coupling the electrochemical, thermal, and aging model allow the prognostic algorithm to estimate a typical cell voltage and temperature as a function of age (cycling and calendar), whose departure from measured values from the BMS is used to identify a safety event. In addition, we will present the results from two simulated flight scenarios for a UAV: typical and extreme, since the power requirements vary significantly during take-off, landing, and changing altitudes, while the power requirements remain low during the cruise. For this presentation, the power requirement for a battery pack in a UAV is scaled to a single cell. This cell is cycled through a simulated profile, and the data is collected and used to predict a safety event.

Li-ion↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety (SABERS) for Extended Deep Space Applications

Extended duration deep space missions as well as permanent space habitats face numerous technical challenges, key among them is energy generation and energy storage. There are considerable monetary and technical barriers to the generation of power in space. Therefore, it is important to store and be able to access power in an efficient and safe manner over a large number of cycles. Energy storage and in particular, batteries, are vital to the operation of next-generation extraterrestrial shuttles, rovers, habitats and extravehicular activity (EVA) space suits. The performance metrics for extended duration space missions are at least 2 times greater than those set for terrestrial applications such as electric automobiles. Furthermore, safety is essential for operation of space missions particularly involving astronauts such as shuttles, habitats and EVA space suits. Preliminary systems level analysis has indicated that there are five key properties which must be optimized for successful implementation of battery systems. Those five key criteria are: safety, energy density, power, packaging design and scalability. Current state-of-the-art (SOA) lithium-ion batteries can meet or exceed the requirements for certain space applications in the areas of power and scalability, yet are insufficient in the key performance criteria of energy, safety and packaging design. The SABERS concept proposes a battery that meets all five key performance criteria through development of a solid-state architecture battery utilizing high capacity sulfur-selenium cathode and lithium metal anode. The combination of sulfur and selenium offers a balanced energy-to-power density ratio, which can be tailored to the specific application by altering the stoichiometric ratios of sulfur to selenium. This hybrid cathode will be developed by implementing NASA patented holey graphene technology as a highly conductive, ultra-lightweight electrode scaffold. A solid-state electrolyte will be used as a safe, non-flammable replacement to the highly flammable liquid organic electrolytes currently used in SOA lithium-ion batteries. This solid-state lithium-sulfur/selenium cell will be designed into a serial stacking configuration to enable dense packaging of the battery cells. The serial stacking configuration is termed a bipolar stack, which has the advantages of reducing overall cell weight, simplifying the interfaced connections for the cell, and minimizing the cooling requirements for the cell. Lastly, optimization of battery components will occur through a robust and rigorous combination of various computational modeling techniques covering multiple length scales. The expected result will be a fully solid-state battery with operational temperatures up to 150 °C which provides the required energy density, discharge rates, and inherent safety to meet the strict space mission performance criteria. In particular, the wide operational temperature window is required for the large temperature ranges which are experienced across a broad range of potential space missions. This presentation will show initial results that demonstrate the SABERS team has developed a composite carbon-sulfur cathode which exceeds 1100 Wh/kg at a discharge rate of 0.4C, and 804 Wh/kg at a discharge rate of 1C. Additionally, this presentation will show the SABERS team multiscale computational modeling approach and has produced a novel particle dynamics method called Solid Electrolyte Sphere Approximation Model (SESAM). SESAM is on the 1-10 µm scale and provides electromechanical and grain interactions for predictive design guidelines for the experimental team to follow.

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Vehicles↗