SBIR Phase I: Development of novel sensors to determine health of batteries

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to improve battery health and predicting hazardous events related to battery performance. This will have an important impact on consumer safety, sustainable energy development via promoting reliable energy storage from solar and wind power, as well as in critical applications related to healthcare. As the power density of the batteries keeps increasing, consumers start seeing evidence of potentially catastrophic battery failures, resulting in fires and explosions. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be to validate the preliminary results that sensor sensitivity, dimensions and speed are sufficient to capture subtle changes in the battery's signatures that are indicative of formation of SEI degradation of electrodes, electrolytes and other battery components. It will be based on ex-situ and in-situ measurements, modelling and machine learning. 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.