Project description
Next-generation lithium-ion batteries that can heal themselves
Electrochemical reactions in batteries occurring during cycles of charge and discharge cause structural changes in materials leading to drastic reduction in battery performance. Next-generation electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries are expected to degrade on interaction with greater amounts of lithium and thus undergo more drastic structural changes. The EU-funded BAT4EVER project will focus on self-healing mechanisms of the micro-damage and loss of material generated during repetitive cycles of charge and discharge. The project's work will involve extensive material characterisation methods, atomistic modelling of material behaviour and simulation of battery cells. Researchers will then move to the prototype stage, compiling sophisticated cell-processes for validation of the self-healing lithium-ion battery in cell phones through intensive testing.
Objective
Electrochemical reactions in battery materials normally lead to structural changes, which may cause degradation and damage, and thus causing the loss of functionality of the battery with cycling. Next-generation electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries are especially prone to these failure mechanisms because they react with greater amounts of lithium and thus undergo more drastic structural changes.
BAT4EVER refers to microscopic self-healing of the micro-damages generated during repetitive charging/discharging processes at the Silicon anodes, NMC-based cathodes and electrolytes aiming a significantly improved charge-discharge cycle and calendar life of the Li-ion batteries.
These challenging tasks will be overcome by applying self-healing polymer coverage around Si-NPs on the anode side and by synthesizing core-shell structured and thus redox-stabilised cathode nano-particles that are embedded in M-ions and H-bonds induced polymers. Ionogel and covalent bonded gels will initiate curing ability to the electrolytes.
These battery component development acts will be supported with extensive use of material and structure characterisation methods and with atomistic modelling and cell simulation efforts.
The processing technologies will be transferred to the scaling team of the consortium for prototype manufacturing. The prototypes will be tested under varies environmental and in next-generation cell phones as a case study.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryelectric batteries
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkali metals
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsmobile phones
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium