Low-Cost, Robust Battery

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Program:
OPEN 2015
Award:
$2,274,303
Location:
Ames, Iowa
Status:
CANCELLED
Project Term:
06/01/2016 - 06/30/2018

Technology Description:

The team led by Iowa State University (ISU) will develop an All Solid-State Sodium Battery (ASSSB) that will have a high energy content, can easily be recycled, and rely on highly abundant and extremely low cost starting materials. Commercially available sodium-based batteries operate at elevated temperatures, which decreases the efficiency and safety of the system. The team seeks to improve all three of the main components of a sodium-based battery: the anode, cathode, and electrolyte separator. The team’s anode is a porous carbon nanotube layer that will serve as a framework on which sodium metal will be deposited. The separator will be made of a novel oxy-thio-nitride glass solid electrolyte, and the cathode will be composed of a polymer in which reversible sodium insertion and removal takes place. The team will need to overcome several challenges, including reducing interfacial resistance between the organic electrode and the solid electrolyte. The proposed sodium battery can operate at room temperature, uses a benign and scalable solid-stack design for a long cycle life, and expects to achieve an energy density eqivalent to state-of-the-art Li-ion cells.

Potential Impact:

If successful, this flexible solid-state electrolyte could enable much greater deployment of robust batteries for transportation or stationary storage applications, which in turn would allow higher penetration of renewables.

Security:

Grid-scale batteries will improve grid resiliency and reduce vulnerability due to outages. 

Environment:

Renewable energy production can be deployed to a greater extent if energy storage technologies are more prevalent.

Economy:

Low-cost production of solid-state batteries with earth abundant materials could open a large manufacturing industry in the U.S. while providing energy storage that lowers the cost of deploying renewable electricity on the grid.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Scott Litzelman
Project Contact:
Prof. Steve Martin
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
swmartin@iastate.edu

Partners

University of Colorado, Boulder
Washington State University
University of Houston
Solid Power, Inc.

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Release Date:
01/07/2015