SBIR Phase II: 120Wh/kg K-ion Battery with 10C Discharge Rate as Alternative to LFP Commercial Power Cells

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to deliver a safer, U.S.-manufacturable battery platform that directly supports artificial intelligence infrastructure, national security, and supply-chain resilience. Potassium-ion batteries use abundant, low-toxicity materials, like potassium and iron-based Prussian white cathodes with graphite anodes, shifting demand away from lithium/cobalt/nickel supply chains that are highly concentrated internationally. The chemistry’s inherent safety reduces fire risk for uninterruptible power supplies in data centers and for defense microgrids, where fast, high-power discharge and reliability are critical. Domestic sourcing and roll-to-roll manufacturability strengthen U.S. industrial capacity, create skilled jobs in cathode production, cell assembly, and recycling, and reduce strategic vulnerabilities. By enabling high-power, sustainable storage without critical cobalt or nickel, this project advances clean-energy goals while increasing U.S. technological independence. This effort also includes workforce development with local partners to expand the talent pipeline for advanced battery manufacturing. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project develops potassium-ion 18650 cells that pair a Prussian-white (KPW) cathode with a graphite anode and are compatible with existing Li-ion production lines. The technical objectives are: (1) double cathode areal capacity via formulation and porosity control while maintaining electronic/ionic transport; (2) identify electrolytes that minimize anode interfacial charge-transfer resistance and irreversible loss; and (3) integrate materials and cell-engineering improvements to achieve >120 Wh/kg energy density and a 10C discharge rate with robust abuse tolerance. The work applies design-of-experiments, high-throughput screening, impedance analysis, and accelerated cycling with go/no-go gates tied to uninterruptible power supply and defense-relevant duty cycles. Final deliverables include early product level 18650 cells, full data packages (energy/rate, cycle life, safety), and manufacturing recipes suitable for roll-to-roll scale-up. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.