ARTIST · Advancing Rechargeable-Batteries Through In Situ Techniques
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2015-07-01 → 2017-12-31
- EU contribution
- €211,825
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-GF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Advancing Rechargeable-Batteries Through In Situ Techniques
Energy storage in rechargeable batteries is a key technology in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, with the aim of minimising global warming and its potentially disastrous effects. The search for new battery materials together with the drive to improve performance and lower the cost of rechargeable batteries presents significant challenges. Many of the most important physical processes that occur in rechargeable batteries occur at the interface between the solid electrodes and a liquid electrolyte. However, directly probing the reactions occurring at these interfaces is challenging due the bulk of material either side of these interfaces. This project aims to address this problem by developing new techniques based on using atomically thin graphene membranes to probe the solid-liquid interface with established X-ray spectrocopy and scanning probe microscopy techniques. The understanding of electrode-electrolyte interfaces in rechargeable batteries is critical to improving their performance, and thus this project is of broad significance to society, given the widespread use of rechargeable batteries in portable electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones, as well as their increasing prevalence as power sources for zero-emission vehicles. The overall objectives of this project are to: - Develop in situ techniques to probe solid-liquid interfaces. - Use these techniques to reveal the structural and chemical evolution of solid-liquid interfaces. - Obtain a detailed understanding of the evolution of electrode materials in rechargeable batteries and how these materials can be improved. Conclusions of the action: - Developed a new approach to perform X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of gases and liquids at atmospheric pressures using graphene membranes. - Revealed the structure of the solid-electrolyte interphase formed on high-capacity silicon anodes in lithium ion batteries, and how electrolyte additives can reduce capacity fade over many charge/discharge cycles. - Observed the evolution of silicon-based anode materials during lithium insertion, showing that using silicon oxide avoided the formation of undesirable phases.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have enabled the portable device revolution of the last two decades, and have undoubtedly had a dramatic societal impact, with rechargeable electronic devices now ubiquitous. The light Li-containing electrodes, and high working cell voltages (typically >3.5 V) make LIBs the most practical solution for many portable applications. However, when significantly larger storage capacity is demanded, such as in transportation or grid-based energy storage, the limited availability, and consequently elevated cost, of Li becomes prohibitive. This research project will investigate alternative battery technologies that use more earth-abundant ions for charge transport, namely Mg, to enable the next generation of energy storage devices. The atomic-scale mechanisms of Mg-ion insertion/extraction at electrode-electrolyte interfaces and how these interfaces evolve during charging/discharging will be investigated. Complementary in situ techniques will be used to investigate the evolution of electrode structure and chemical state using carefully designed model electrodes. The study of scaled-up electrodes integrated into complete batteries will extend this understanding to more realistic battery cycling conditions. This will provide important insights to help overcome the limitations of the materials currently used in Mg-ion batteries (MIBs). The ground-breaking nature of this proposal lies in the level of fundamental understanding we aspire to achieve based on in situ metrology. We thereby envision the rational design and optimisation of the next generation of rechargeable batteries, guided by more than just the existing empirical approach.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE · CAMBRIDGECoordinatorUnited Kingdom
- THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA · OaklandUnited States
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union