SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will assess the feasibility of a user-directed software system for designing electrochemical power sources (batteries). The software couples performance and process models with an optimization routine. Battery users direct the design of batteries by providing objective functions; battery developers insure the designs are feasible by providing parameters for the process model. This software allows battery users and developers to collaborate without disclosure of proprietary information, and incorporates the best work of university professors. The research proposed here will identify optimal designs for batteries used in portable electronics, and viable strategies for coupling product and performance models. Leading manufacturers of portable computers and cellular phones will participate. This innovation would create a new route for rapid development of battery materials and components, batteries, and devices that use batteries. The innovation would be timely, as new polymer battery technology is emerging that is amenable to customized mass production. This system would give the US an edge in the incredibly competitive and rapidly growing portable electronics industry, help US battery companies and their suppliers compete, be a useful tool for government and educational institutions, and serve as a model for other industries. This research could lead to an Internet-based software system for battery design and evaluation, accessible for a fixed fee. This software would help companies sell products by providing access to battery makers and users, and allowing the benefits of products to be demonstrated through simulation. This system would also help users access and select products, by evaluating them through simulation. By 2003, the business of updating and maintaining this software for battery design and evaluation, could reach $3 million and employ six people.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop prototype software for designing batteries based on user requirements. A user will specify an objective (such as maximize runtime) and use conditions (such as the electrical current), and the software determines, based on first principles(trade mark) models, the optimal design. The Phase I project successfully yielded, based on optimization of capacity, significant improvements in runtime for devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs). The Phase II project will develop a user-friendly, prototype system that can handle multiple battery chemistries, simulate abuse testing, and predict battery life. The software serves as an intermediary between battery developers and users by capturing expertise from both groups, allowing them to accrue benefits of simulation. Aligning development cycles of batteries to devices leads to better products (with concomitant market penetration, share growth, and lower costs). The software protects confidential information of all parties, creating opportunities for broader partnerships. The commercial benefits will come from the development of the software, which provides a ready outlet for academic research and a rational basis for product specifications. It is anticipated that if this project is successful it will open up the battery industry to innovation and will help to create new partnerships.