SAFE-BIOBATT · Fire-safe and bio-based polymer electrolytes for new generation lithium-sulfur batteries
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2025-02-01 → 2027-01-31
- EU contribution
- €165,313
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Fire-safe and bio-based polymer electrolytes for new generation lithium-sulfur batteries
The project is based on three main objectives that are described below and the progress achieved in each one. Objective 1 focused on developing Car-based solid electrolytes for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (SSLSBs) with high ionic conductivity and understanding lithium-ion transport mechanisms. Despite successful fabrication of uniform films with good mechanical integrity, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed extremely high impedance and poor ionic conductivity at room temperature. Increasing LiTFSI content and applying thermal treatment did not significantly improve performance. These findings indicate that Car is unsuitable as a standalone matrix for solid-state electrolytes. Objective 2 aimed to synthesize cross-linked bio-based polymer electrolytes with enhanced mechanical strength and fire safety. The development of PEO–Car interpenetrating network (IPN) electrolytes proved promising. The IPN maintained ionic conductivity similar to pure PEO while improving mechanical strength. Car integration did not hinder ion transport, and conductivity increased with temperature, confirming that the PEO-rich phase remained the main ion-conducting pathway. These results highlight the IPN approach as an effective strategy for creating robust polymer electrolytes. Objective 3 sought to evaluate mechanisms for suppressing LiSP dissolution and dendrite growth and to produce high-performance SSLSBs. However, this objective was not achieved due to early project termination.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Low ionic conductivity as well as insufficient ability to suppress the shuttle effect and lithium dendrite growth has been a crucial problem constraining the development of polymer electrolytes, which further leads to the fact that the vast majority of solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (SSLSBs) have to be operated above room temperature. Moreover, researchers have given much more emphasis on the energy density of batteries, while the fire-safety property is not given as much attention as the batterys performance. Therefore, facing these challenges, the overarching target of this ambitious yet achievable project (SAFE-BIOBATT) is to develop high energy density and fire-safe SSLSBs and to systematically investigate the electrochemical reaction mechanism based on these fabricated SSLSBs. In details, cross-linking biopolymer Carrageenan (Car), a promising and potential bio-based solid electrolyte with high ion conductivity at room temperature, with functionalized -cyclodextrin (CDP-Car) will be produced with the aim to not only facilitate the fire-safety of fabricated polymer-based electrolytes but also enhance the mechanical strength to suppress the lithium dendrite growth for their application in SSLSBs. The Car is not only fabricated as electrolyte but also developed as binder for sulfur electrode with the aim of effectively capturing lithium polysulfides. By introducing this bio-based fire-safe electrolyte in this project, the room-temperature polymer-based SSLSB can be achievable as breakthrough. Furthermore, LiN(CF3SO2)2 as a typical candidate salt will be employed in this bio-based electrolyte (CDP-Car-salt), expecting its effects in stabilizing the solid electrolyte interface and preventing the lithium dendrite. As compared to the current electrolytes and key components of the batteries which mainly rely on fossil-based sources, the strategy proposed here provides a safe and sustainable solution to the development of new generation fire-safe batteries.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- FUNDACION IMDEA MATERIALES · GetafeCoordinatorSpain
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101151807
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5210e2740&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union