This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop novel high energy/power density polymer based cathode material for Li-ion battery. There is great demand for inexpensive, lightweight, and environmentally friendly Li-ion batteries for emerging applications such as plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles and efficient utilization of intermittent renewable energy. The most desired improvements on the current LIB technology include higher energy/power density, better safety characteristics, and more renewable synthesis of battery materials. The greatest challenges of LIBs mainly lie with the cathode. Transition metal oxides and phosphates are currently the dominant cathode materials, but their specific capacities of below 200 mAh/g limit their energy density. These materials are non-renewable and energy-intensive to produce, and they can evolve oxygen gas during cycling, which raises great safety concerns. To address these issues, this project will develop a high energy/power density polymer cathode with stable cycling and excellent rate performance at a lower cost compared to conventional cathode in LIBs. The polymer cathode synthesis can utilize renewable biomass resources and consist of eco-efficient processes, making sustainable Li-ion batteries possible. The use of polymer cathodes may also improve thermal safety of Li-ion batteries compared with conventional cathode materials.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that the high energy/power density polymer cathode will significantly improve the performance of cathode in conventional LIBs with the utilization of environmental friendly material. If successful, it is anticipated that the proposed polymer cathode will have a higher gravimetric energy density than that of conventional cathodes, such as LiCoO2, LiFePO4 and LiMn2O4. Eco-efficient synthesis processes using inexpensive, renewable resources should also lead to a production cost below that of conventional cathodes. Particularly, the merits of the polymer cathode, including high energy density, lightweight, high flexibility and environmentally friendly will make the products highly competitive in the military market.
