SBIR Phase I: A New Class of High-conductivity Solid-state Composite Electrolytes for Next-generation Lithium Batteries

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to enable high-performance, safe, lithium-based batteries; a $40B market today and growing rapidly driven by the needs of electric vehicles and grid-based storage. This project will develop a safe (non-flammable) electrolyte that can operate at both high voltages (for increased battery capacity) and high temperature (for rapid charging). The proposed electrolyte is a drop-in replacement in today’s manufacturing infrastructure. Key experiments will allow the team to develop a fundamental understanding of the materials properties and allow it to circumvent crucial performance limiters. As an enabler for an all solid-state battery, the innovation will improve performance of electric vehicle batteries at reduced costs, accelerating the rate of penetration of US-made electric vehicles and power trains in world markets. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop, test, scale-up, and begin commercialization of a next-generation solid-state composite electrolyte for inherently safe, high-performance lithium-/lithium-ion batteries. The electrolyte should have high electrochemical stability, high ionic conductivity, high thermal stability, a high lithium transference number, low interfacial resistance, and will be inherently non-flammable. Full cells >200 mAh will be constructed and performance tested. During the Phase I effort, NextGen will demonstrate that its new electrolyte will meet the conductivity, temperature, safety, etc. goals for advanced electrolytes required by early market adopters. The project has four key tasks: (1) ceramic materials synthesis and characterization, (2) blending with a polymer to form a thin, pinhole-free composite solid-state electrolyte system to achieve simultaneously a high ionic conductivity and a low resistance interface with the cathode/anode materials, (3) electrochemical and thermal characterization of the composite electrolyte system, and (4) assembly and test of full cells to demonstrate that the electrolyte meets the system performance requirements. 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.