A high-energy-density vehicle battery with drop-in lithium anode enabled by a stable liquid electrolyte

The advancement of electric drive vehicle batteries is crucial for improving transportation energy efficiency. Batteries using high-capacity lithium metal anode hold promise thanks to their high energy densities to extend driving range, and low cost. Currently, a stable electrolyte is urgently needed to enable lithium metal anode with long battery life. In this project, a novel class of high-energy-density battery will be developed by dropping lithium metal anode into conventional lithium-ion battery, enabled by a stable liquid electrolyte. Moreover, the development takes advantage of machine learning and high-throughput robotic experimentation, which allows for the effective and efficient search in vast yet relevant multi-dimensional material space for solutions, as compared with the current manual Edisonian processes. If successful, the stable liquid electrolyte can promise high energy density, long cycle life and low cost. Phase I will provide a proof of principle of our strategy. Specifically, the compositional space of the liquid electrolyte will be efficiently and effectively searched in favor of (1) excellent lithium cycling stability, (2) high ionic conductivity, and (3) high voltage stability. About 2,000 samples will be proposed and screened via machine learning and high-throughput robotic experimentation, and further validated in >200mAh full cell, converging to a liquid electrolyte solution. This liquid electrolyte technology has direct applicability to high energy-density lithium batteries for electric vehicle application. Upon the success of this project in Phase 2, the commercialization of the electrolyte will accelerate the wide deployment of high-energy-density vehicle batteries, and enable a large market penetration of electric vehicles. Moreover, R&D results will be published and communicated in industrial and academic communities.