NSF Award
9760456
*** 9760456 Wixom This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop advanced materials for lithium ion battery electrodes. These materials will be processed to increase the reversible lithium storage capacity and decrease the irreversible capacity through control of their microstructure. The first task will be to systematically vary the process conditions applied to at least two materials typically used in commercial batteries. The electrode microstructures will be evaluated by diffraction and porosimetry, and changes in the microstructure will be related to process conditions. Electrodes will be fabricated and assembled into test cells using metallic lithium as the reference and counter electrode. The cells will be cycled to measure capacity and polarization. A process design will be developed to demonstrate economic as well as technical feasibility. Phase II will transition from highly controlled laboratory-scale processes to larger industrial processes presently used in ceramic powder processing This project will improve the volumetric capacity and operating times of rechargeable lithium ion batteries. The market for these batteries is expected to grow to over $250 million by 2000. Operating time is perhaps the single most important selection criterion for applications such as camcorders, laptop computers, and cellular communication. ***
