Cellulose Biopolymer-based Flexible Nanofibrous Composite Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Next Generation Sodium-ion Batteries
Project overview
This project aims to address the challenges and opportunities in the green expansion of battery technology, particularly the transition from conventional lithium-based batteries (LIBs) to solid-state sodium ion batteries (ss-SIBs).
With the global battery market currently reliant on LIBs and facing sustainability concerns due to the limited availability of lithium, ss-SIBs emerge as a promising alternative. These batteries leverage the abundant and cheaper sodium, avoiding the use of scarce materials like cobalt or nickel, significantly reducing costs. Despite their advantages, ss-SIBs confront hurdles such as lower electrode capacity, complex manufacturing processes and poor mechanical properties in flexible applications.
This project proposes a novel nanoengineering approach by developing a green, cellulose-based, electrospinning, nanofibrous advanced composite solid polymer electrolyte for ss-SIBs. The goal is to overcome the challenges of ss-SIBs and advance the technology from material research to prototyping and manufacturing.
Key project details
| Principal investigator | Qingye (Gemma) Lu, associate professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary |
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Co-principal investigators |
Jinguang Hu, associate professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary; Xia Li, assistant professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering and Concordia University Research Chair in in High Energy Rechargeable Batteries, Concordia University | |
Research collaborators |
Michael Liu, director, Cancarbon Technologies Inc. | |
| Non-academic partners | Cancarbon Technologies Inc. | |
| Research Keywords | Cellulose, biopolymer, nanofibrous, composite, solid-state electrolyte, sodium- ion batteries | |
| Budget | Cash: $200,000 In-kind: $130,000 |
Research focus
Development of cellulose-based electrospun nanofibrous composite solid polymer electrolytes (nc-spe)
This theme involves creating advanced NC-SPEs for solid-state sodium ion batteries (ss-SIBs) by utilizing cellulose biopolymers and derivatives. It encompasses the fabrication and testing of five key types of NC-SPEs, including aligned, cross-linked, nano-porous, transition metal-coordinated and polymer binder-assisted NC-SPEs.
Impact of nanoarchitecture on sodium ionic conductivity, mechanical property and electrochemical stability
This phase focuses on investigating the impact of the nanoarchitecture of NC-SPEs on improving sodium ionic conductivity, mechanical properties, and initial electrochemical stability with sodium metal anode. It involves comprehensive material characterization studies using various analytical techniques.
Application and performance enhancement of nc-spes
This step aims to explore the application of the developed NC-SPEs in flexible ss-SIBs and enhance their performance. It includes demonstrating the compatibility and stability of each cellulose-based NC-SPE as a solid separator within the sodium metal anode and nanostructured cathode materials in coin cell setup, exploring alternative design concepts and investigating overall battery performance.
Fabrication and testing of prototype flexible ss-sibs
This step involves the fabrication of prototype flexible ss-SIBs using promising compositions of cathode and electrolyte materials, along with the sodium metal anode. It focuses on testing batteries with diverse designs at varying current densities to enhance high-capacity retention over numerous cycles.
Summarization of extensive battery testing for commercialization
The final step of this project involves summarizing the extensive battery testing of several coin-cell and flexible cell configurations. This goal is pivotal for collaborating with commercial battery companies to conduct a cost analysis of materials, tSme, and methodologies used, aiming at establishing a high-performing, economical and sustainable ss-SIB for commercialization.
Non-academic partners
Thank you to our non-academic partners for your support and trust.
