Blog Posts
ARPA-E focuses on next-generation energy innovation to create a sustainable energy future. The agency provides R&D support to businesses, universities, and national labs to develop technologies that could fundamentally change the way we get, use, and store energy. Since 2009, ARPA-E has provided approximately $2 billion in support to more than 800 energy technology projects. Last month, we introduced a new series to highlight the transformational technology our project teams are developing across the energy portfolio. Check out these projects turning ideas into reality.
Blog Posts
Every year, convention centers around the world fill with eager attendees looking for a chance to experience firsthand the latest and greatest in the world of automobile innovation. Whether you’re a classic gearhead or technology enthusiast, the auto manufacturers’ annual showcase season is truly a sight to behold. To celebrate car show season, here’s a quick look at some of ARPA-E’s transportation portfolio and a few projects that could one day shape how Americans get around.
Slick Sheet: Project
Wright Electric and Columbia University are developing an aluminum-air flow battery that has swappable aluminum anodes that allow for mechanical recharging. Aluminum air chemistry can achieve high energy density but historically has encountered issues with rechargeability and clogging from reaction products. To overcome these barriers, Wright Electric uses a 3D design instead of a 2D planar chemistry to improve the contact between anode and cathode.
Slick Sheet: Project
And Battery Aero and its collaborators are developing battery cells, stacks, and systems using fluorinated electrodes to usher in a new type of battery chemistry for aviation applications. The team will focus on enhancing energy density of the cell design through electrode materials optimization and electrolyte formulation. The proposed approach would also innovate battery pack design to reduce energy density penalty due to packaging.
Slick Sheet: Project
Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing an alkali hydroxide triple phase flow battery (3PFB) to enable reversible operation of ultrahigh energy density battery chemistries. The approach takes inspiration from fuel injectors in internal combustion engines and from conventional flow batteries. The proposed design leverages innovative pumping and handling of molten alkali metal and hydroxide species to maximize the volume of reactants over inactive components and thus increase energy density.
Slick Sheet: Project
Solid Energies will develop a new generation of safe, high power, energy dense, and long-lasting solid-state Lithium-air batteries (SSLaBs). Based on a new class of polymer composite electrolytes that are compatible with today’s Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery production lines, these SSLaBs could provide superior safety, extremely high energy and power densities (1000 WHr/kg and 1500 W/kg respectively, four times of existing Li-ion batteries), and last over 1000 charge and discharge cycles.
Slick Sheet: Project
Johns Hopkins University is developing a high-energy-density hydrogen carrier using methylcyclohexane to create a fuel cell (FC) system that holds higher mass-specific energy densities than conventional systems. The proposed hydrogen FC uses closed loop cyclic hydrogen carriers. The FC system can also be rapidly (~10 min) replenished via pumping.
Slick Sheet: Project
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is developing a solid-state lithium-air battery that would overcome previous challenges with lithium-air technologies through several key innovations. IIT’s approach features a composite polymer solid-state electrolyte with no liquid component, a cathode module with a highly active catalyst and oxygen uptake ability, advanced air flow, and a new cell architecture.
Slick Sheet: Project
The University of Maryland is developing rechargeable lithium carbon monofluoride cathode chemistry to meet the PROPEL1K Category B technical targets. This new chemistry builds on previous work at UMD on halogen conversion-intercalation chemistry but targets significantly higher energy through active material, electrolyte, and other cell chemistry modifications. The cell is assembled in the discharged state, significantly lowering cost relative to high-energy Li-metal cells that are built in the charged state (and hence require the use of Li-metal foils).
Slick Sheet: Project
The University of Illinois, Chicago is developing a lithium-air (Li-Air) battery technology using a ceramic-based solid-state electrolyte to enable fully renewable, safe, and affordable airborne delivery of goods, services, and people. A technological bottleneck of Li-Air systems for aviation is operating at high enough current densities per area. To overcome this challenge, the proposed approach leverages interfacial engineering of the ceramic solid-state electrolyte and a cathode electrode with a multiscale hierarchical porous design.