| NSF Org: |
CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | December 28, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 28, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1751929 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Carole Read
cread@nsf.gov (703)292-2418 CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $500,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $500,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
200 UNIVERSTY OFC BUILDING RIVERSIDE CA US 92521-0001 (951)827-5535 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
CA US 92521-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | EchemS-Electrochemical Systems |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
Electrochemical energy storage technologies play a critical role in the utilization of electricity generated from intermittent renewable resources such as solar and wind. Current rechargeable battery technologies including Li-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries cannot fully fulfill the requirements for sustainable energy storage in terms of stability, cost, and environmental impact. This project investigates a new type of rechargeable battery based on aluminum (Al) metal anode, namely Al-ion batteries. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust; it is non-toxic, domestically available, and potentially low-cost. Furthermore, due to the charge state of the Al ion (its trivalency), the resultant Al-ion batteries can achieve the high capacity required by renewable energy storage applications. This research project will result in fundamental knowledge of the electrochemical processes and materials properties in the Al-ion battery systems. This project also provides new avenues for educational and outreach activities for underrepresented minority students in STEM through mentorship and Electric Vehicle club programs for local high school students and research opportunities for undergraduates of UC-Riverside.
The goal of this project is to gain a fundamental understanding of the electrochemical processes and materials properties in a rechargeable Al-ion battery system. The project's approach addresses the cathode, anode, and electrolyte as a unified system. The scientific and technical challenges to rechargeable Al-ion batteries are centered at feasible room-temperature, chloride-free organic electrolytes that are beyond Lewis acid ionic liquids. Aim 1 of the project focuses on understanding the solvent-salt coordination chemistry and its effect on reversible Al plating and stripping from Al-ion electrolytes based on organic solvents. Aim 2 addresses the formation and composition of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the Al metal anode, to design an artificial SEI for facile Al plating-stripping. New Al salts and additives for Al-ion electrolytes to eliminate chloride are also investigated. Aim 3 investigates the intercalation-type and conversion-type cathode materials and synergistically benefits from the first two aims on Al-ion electrolytes. The investigations will combine theoretical prediction and experimental validation to expedite the research progress.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of this project is to obtain fundamental understandings of the working mechanisms of rechargeable aluminum (Al) batteries systems. The objectives are to investigate (1) the interface processes during electrochemical deposition and stripping of Al, (2) the electrochemical redox reactions of metal oxide and chalcogenide cathodes, and (3) new electrolytes beyond conventional chloroaluminate ionic liquids (CILs). Several key findings were made from this project: We reported Chevrel phase molybdenum sulfide (Mo6S8) and molybdenum selenide (Mo6Se8) as intercalation-type cathode materials for the first time. The Al intercalation mechanism in Mo6S8 was revealed through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. A novel disproportionation mechanism of Al-intercalated Mo6S8 (Al4/3Mo6S8) driven by the difference between chemical potential and electrochemical potential was discovered. A true self-charging Al-Mo6S8 battery was proposed and demonstrated based on this finding. We also investigated the transition metal selenides as the conversion-type of cathodes for rechargeable Al batteries. We demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance of heterostructured Co3Se4/ZnSe and CoSe2/FeSe2 due to facile charge transfer enabled by the internal electric field across the heterostructure. In addition to metal chalcogenide cathodes, we revealed the importance of chemical compatibility of transition metal oxides with the CIL electrolytes. We elucidated the chemical reaction mechanisms between vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), a reported oxide cathode for rechargeable Al batteries, and the CIL electrolytes using electrochemical analysis combined with various spectroscopic characterizations. We also elucidated the possible side reactions during charge and discharge of rechargeable Al batteries in CIL electrolytes. In the efforts to develop new electrolytes, we synthesized the first non-ionic liquid electrolyte based on AlCl3solution in g-butyrolactone (GBL) utilizing the tunability of the solvation structures of AlCl3 in GBL. We also synthesized Al hexafluorophosphate (Al(PF6)3) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Al(PF6)3 in DMSO is the first simple Al salt electrolyte reported in open literature. This project generates total 10 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as ACS Energy Letters, Chemistry of Materials, and Advanced Functional Materials and numerous presentations in national conferences such as the American Chemical Society Annual Meetings, the Electrochemical Society Conferences, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Conferences. This project sheds light on fundamental questions about rechargeable Al batteries including the cathode reactions, chemical and electrochemical stability of the batteries, and properties of the electrolytes. Numerous undergraduate students at University of California – Riverside and students from Valley View High School in Riverside participated in the research activities in this project.
Last Modified: 08/11/2023
Modified by: Juchen Guo
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