SBIR Phase I: High-Energy Primary Battery Chemistry Powering Next-Generation Wearable Devices

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the development of a new high-energy, primary (non-rechargeable) battery that extends lifetime and functionality of medical and Internet of Things devices. Primary batteries have energy density greater than 3x of rechargeable batteries and are indispensable where recharging is impractical. In these applications, battery life determines device life, and limited energy constrains advanced functions such as remote monitoring, sensing, and analytics. Despite continued demand, there have been few fundamental innovations in primary battery chemistries in 40 years, even though batteries remain a key roadblock for advanced devices. This project develops a high-energy primary battery chemistry that boosts state-of-the-art energy density by >50%, translating to 50% longer battery life or 30% smaller battery sizes. The innovation advances understanding of fluoride-conversion-based battery chemistry, while also demonstrating a new battery architecture that stores energy in both solid and liquid phases. The unprecedented high energy density provides strong competitive advantage unachievable by commercial chemistries and unlocks an advanced device design space, improving patient quality of life, facilitating the transition of healthcare from hospital to home, and promoting integrated Internet of Things infrastructure. Commercialization will follow a business-to-business model, with wearables as the beachhead market. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a pre-commercial primary battery prototype for wearable devices based on a new catholyte (cathode+electrolyte), which hybridizes with commercial solid cathodes, like carbon monofluoride, to minimize inactive “deadweight” in the cell. Conventional carbon monofluoride batteries utilize inert electrolyte that does not store energy. Previous attempts to replace the electrolyte with active catholytes were unsuccessful due to poor voltage/chemical compatibility with carbon monofluoride. The catholyte herein exhibits excellent compatibility with carbon monofluoride, enabling a hybrid cell design that significantly reduces inactive weight, resulting in >50% higher volumetric energy than carbon monofluoride coin cells. The objective of this project is to develop a practical-scale coin cell prototype that demonstrates high energy under continuous and pulse discharge conditions relevant to wearable device operation. The proposed work addresses two technical hurdles: achieving high volumetric energy within constrained cell volume and sustaining power capability with ~2x increased electrode thickness. These challenges will be addressed through systematic investigation of key parameters governing active material utilization, discharge product nucleation and growth, and anode solid electrolyte interphase formation. These studies will inform cathode/cell design strategies, enabling the fabrication of practical-loading prototype and validating cell performance under application-relevant conditions. 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.