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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

A new cyclic carbonate enables high power/ low temperature lithium-ion batteries

The modern lithium-ion battery (LIB) configuration was enabled by the "magic chemistry" between ethylene carbonate (EC) and graphitic carbon anode. Despite the constant changes of cathode chemistries with improved energy densities, EC-graphite combination remained static during the last three decades. While the interphase generated by EC protects the fragile graphitic structure, the intrinsic disadvantages of EC (high viscosity, high melting point, excessive interphase growth) lead to mediocre power density and poor performances of LIB at sub-zero temperatures, where lithium depositions form upon charging. Such performance compromises arise from the fundamental dilemma between requiring effective interphase protection and high impedance from excessive growth of interphase. In this work, we designed and synthesized a "double EC" molecule as electrolyte additive to resolve the above dilemma. Erythritol bis(carbonate) (EBC) possesses lower LUMO energy level than EC and hence tends to decompose prior to EC reduction, but its weak solvation toward Li + restricts the extent of its reduction, thus minimizing the interphase thickness and the corresponding impedances. Electrolytes containing EBC enables both the charging and discharging of ampere-size LIB pouch cells at sub-zero temperatures from 0 to -20°C, demonstrating that the key approach to improve low temperature performances lies in how to tailor interphasial chemistry rather than the bulk electrolyte composition.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1987

Polyphase alloys as rechargeable electrodes in advanced battery systems

The rechargeability of electrochemical cells is often limited by negative electrode problems. These may include loss of capacity, increased impedance, macroscopic shape change, dendrite growth, or a tendency for filamentary or whisker growth. In principle, these problems can be reduced or eliminated by the use of alloys that undergo either displacement or insertion reactions at reactant species activities less than unity, rather than pure elements. The fundamental reasons for some of these problems with elemental electrodes, as well as the basic principles involved in the different behavior of alloys, are briefly discussed. More information is now available concerning the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of a number of alloys of potential interest for use as electrodes in elevated temperature lithium battery systems. Recent results have extended these results down to ambient temperatures, indicating that some such materials may be of interest for use with new low temperature molten salt electrolytes, or with organic solvent electrolytes. The all solid mixed conductor matrix concept is also reviewed.

Huggins, Robert A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Method—Using Microelectrodes to Explore Solid Polymer Electrolytes

Solid polymer electrolytes are an emerging technology in electrochemistry driven by their use in energy applications such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and solid-state batteries. Compared to traditional liquid electrolytes, solid polymer electrolytes provide safer, cheaper, and potentially improved device performance. However, there is a lack of standard experimental methods for studying solid electrolytes. Microelectrodes have inherent benefits capable of filling this experimental gap due primarily to their integration into model electrochemical cells with solid electrolytes that represent complex interfaces, enabling additional insight into reaction processes. In this tutorial review, we explore the use of microelectrodes to study solid polymer electrolytes, beginning with a brief history of the field including common experimental cell designs and their benefits and drawbacks. Methods of evaluating essential kinetic and mass-transport parameters are then examined. In addition, the key studies of the past 30 years utilizing microelectrode cells and solid polymer electrolytes are summarized, with important results highlighted and compared. Finally, future studies of solid polymer electrolytes with microelectrodes and potential new avenues of research are commented on.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Beneficial Effects of La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 Coatings on Thin‐Film LiMn 2 O 4 Cathodes for Lithium Ion Batteries

Abstract The severe capacity loss of spinel LiMn 2 O 4 (LMO) limits the utility of this otherwise promising lithium ion battery cathode material. One of the strategies to mitigate capacity fade is applying a coating on LMO particle surfaces. While this approach yields promising results, there is limited understanding of mechanisms whereby coatings improve LMO capacity retention. Herein, the effects of a new protective coating material, La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 (LSCO), in a thin‐film battery geometry that is amenable to fundamental studies of electrode processes, are reported. RF sputtering deposition is used to produce high quality 25–100 nm LMO cathodes on Al 2 O 3 substrates with an intervening Pt/Ti back‐side contact layer. Cycling of the un‐coated cathodes results in capacity loss of 18% over 300 cycles. Adding a 2 nm LSCO layer reduces the capacity loss to 3%. While this may be due in part to reduced Mn dissolution, scanning transmission electron microscopy results indicate that the coating helps to preserve crystallinity and reduce lattice structure distortion due to inhibited formation of defect tetragonal spinel. Three‐electrode electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results reveal that the LSCO coating increases charge transfer and ohmic resistances, but the increases are generally too small to significantly impact cell performance even at high C‐rates.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Solvent Determines the Formation Pathway in Sol–Gel Synthesized Disordered Rock Salt Material for Lithium Ion Battery Application

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries with high capacity and cycling stability, in combination with the scarcity of cobalt and nickel, has led to significant efforts to develop new cathode materials based on earth-abundant transition metals. Mn- and Ti-based disordered rock salt (DRX) cathodes are promising candidates fulfilling these requirements. However, their large-scale fabrication can be energy- and time-intensive using traditional fabrication methods, e.g., solid-state synthesis. The present study showcases sol-gel synthesis as an alternative method with control over the crystallization pathway through solvent choice. Dimethylformamide (DMF) aids the homogenization of the transition metals during early crystallization stages and formation of Li2TiO3 and LiMn2O4 intermediates before the DRX phase is formed. In contrast, 2-methoxyethanol (2-ME) shows transition metal segregation and formation of an additional transition metal intermediate (Ti2MnO4) while not resulting in phase-pure DRX material after calcination. Coin cells prepared with DMF-material yield higher capacity and cycling stability compared with 2-ME material.

Kodalle, Tim↗
DOE OSTI2026

Conformal hetero-electrolyte interface between soft oxyhalides and garnet enables low-pressure lithium-reservoir-free solid-state batteries

The operation of solid-state batteries with a lithium metal anode and a high voltage cathode requires solid electrolytes (SEs) that are chemically stable with lithium, have a wide electrochemical window, and accommodate volume changes in the electrodes. Unfortunately, no SE has exhibited satisfactory mechanical and electrochemical properties that fit these requirements to date. Dual solid electrolyte systems that use a different SE for the anolyte and catholyte present a viable solution. Here, we focus on oxyhalide SEs that demonstrate superior ionic conductivity and cathode compatibility, where their lithium metal reactivity and poor reduction stability can be resolved using a lithium garnet (Li 6.5 La 3 Zr 1.5 Ta 0.5 O 12 , LLZTO) separator. Nonetheless, this imposes a new hetero-electrolyte (H-E) interface at the anolyte|catholyte contact that defines the ion transport across the boundary. We report its promising properties, which are deconvoluted from the electrical measurements of bilayer symmetric cells, for three representative oxyhalide catholytes, LiNbOCl 4 , LiTaOCl 4 , and Li 3 Al 3 O 2 Cl 8 . Pressure-dependent measurements reveal that the relative softness of the oxyhalides (hardness ≤0.4 GPa) enables H-E resistances lower than 150 Ω cm 2 at 2–3 MPa. Mesoscale modelling reveals that the transfer-active contact area of oxyhalides with LLZTO is about 2–3-fold higher than that of argyrodite, Li 6 PS 5 Cl. The low H-E resistance of the LiNbOCl 4 |Li 6.5 La 3 Zr 1.5 Ta 0.5 O 12 dual electrolyte enables the cycling of a Li|LiNi 0.82 Mn 0.07 Co 0.11 O 2 full cell with a high discharge capacity (200 mA h g −1 ) at 60 °C and ∼7 MPa. Importantly, we demonstrate a Li-reservoir-free full cell with high Coulombic efficiency (>99.5%) and capacity at 1 MPa using this approach coupled with a garnet-silver interlayer.

Palmer, Max [University of California, Santa Barba↗
DOE OSTI2020

Promises and Challenges of Next-Generation “Beyond Li-ion” Batteries for Electric Vehicles and Grid Decarbonization

The tremendous improvement in performance and cost of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have made them the technology of choice for electrical energy storage. While established battery chemistries and cell architectures for Li-ion batteries achieve good power and energy density, LIBs are unlikely to meet all the performance, cost, and scaling targets required for energy storage, in particular, in large-scale applications such as electrified transportation and grids. The demand to further reduce cost and/or increase energy density, as well as the growing concern related to natural resource needs for Li-ion have accelerated the investigation of so-called "beyond Li-ion" technologies. In this review, we will discuss the recent achievements, challenges, and opportunities of four important "beyond Li-ion" technologies: Na-ion batteries, K-ion batteries, all-solid-state batteries, and multivalent batteries. Here, the fundamental science behind the challenges, and potential solutions toward the goals of a low-cost and/or high-energy-density future, are discussed in detail for each technology. While it is unlikely that any given new technology will fully replace Li-ion in the near future, "beyond Li-ion" technologies should be thought of as opportunities for energy storage to grow into mid/large-scale applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Critical Contribution of Imbalanced Charge Loss to Performance Deterioration of Si-Based Lithium-Ion Cells during Calendar Aging

Increasing the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, and thereby reducing costs, is a major target for industry and academic research. One of the best opportunities is to replace the traditional graphite anode with a high-capacity anode material, such as silicon. However, Si-based lithium-ion batteries have been widely reported to suffer from a limited calendar life for automobile applications. Heretofore, there lacks a fundamental understanding of calendar aging for rationally developing mitigation strategies. Both open-circuit voltage and voltage-hold aging protocols were utilized to characterize the aging behavior of Si-based cells. Particularly, a high-precision leakage current measurement was applied to quantitatively measure the rate of parasitic reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface. The rate of parasitic reactions at the Si anode was found 5 times and 15 times faster than those of LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 and LiFePO 4 cathodes, respectively. Here, the imbalanced charge loss from parasitic reactions plays a critical role in exacerbating performance deterioration. In addition, a linear relationship between capacity loss and charge consumption from parasitic reactions provides fundamental support to assess calendar life through voltage-hold tests. These new findings imply that longer calendar life can be achieved by suppressing parasitic reactions at the Si anode to balance charge consumption during calendar aging.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

New Insights into Structural Evolution of LiNiO 2 Revealed by Operando Neutron Diffraction

LiNiO 2 (LNO) represents the end member in the compositional space of the LiNi 1-x-y Mn x Co y O 2 (as x and y approach zero) cathode system. Despite its high theoretical specific capacity (275 mAh/g), LNO suffers from phase transitions with large volume change and unfavorable reactions upon electrochemical cycling, which restricts its practical use in the application of lithium-ion batteries. While the contributing factor to the structural instability is commonly linked to the undesired volume collapse associated with the H2-H3 phase transition, detailed analysis of structural evolution following the entire route of phase transitions (H1-M-H2-H3) in real time under battery operating conditions remains a challenging task. In this work, we employ operando neutron diffraction to study the structural changes (crystal lattice, Li/Ni–O bond length, O–Ni–O bond angles, and LiO 2 /NiO 2 layer thickness) of LNO cathode in a home-built Li x NiO 2 || graphite full cell during Li + de-/intercalation. In particular, the anomalous increase(decrease) of Ni–O(Li–O) bond length at high SOC (>~85 %) in the H3 phase is discussed in the context of O 2- (2p)→Ni 4+ (3d) negative charge transfer.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2005

Bio-Nanobattery Development and Characterization

A bio-nanobattery is an electrical energy storage device that utilizes organic materials and processes on an atomic, or nanometer-scale. The bio-nanobattery under development at NASA s Langley Research Center provides new capabilities for electrical power generation, storage, and distribution as compared to conventional power storage systems. Most currently available electronic systems and devices rely on a single, centralized power source to supply electrical power to a specified location in the circuit. As electronic devices and associated components continue to shrink in size towards the nanometer-scale, a single centralized power source becomes impractical. Small systems, such as these, will require distributed power elements to reduce Joule heating, to minimize wiring quantities, and to allow autonomous operation of the various functions performed by the circuit. Our research involves the development and characterization of a bio-nanobattery using ferritins reconstituted with both an iron core (Fe-ferritin) and a cobalt core (Co-ferritin). Synthesis and characterization of the Co-ferritin and Fe-ferritin electrodes were performed, including reducing capability and the half-cell electrical potentials. Electrical output of nearly 0.5 V for the battery cell was measured. Ferritin utilizing other metallic cores were also considered to increase the overall electrical output. Two dimensional ferritin arrays were produced on various substrates to demonstrate the feasibility of a thin-film nano-scaled power storage system for distributed power storage applications. The bio-nanobattery will be ideal for nanometerscaled electronic applications, due to the small size, high energy density, and flexible thin-film structure. A five-cell demonstration article was produced for concept verification and bio-nanobattery characterization. Challenges to be addressed include the development of a multi-layered thin-film, increasing the energy density, dry-cell bionanobattery development, and selection of ferritin core materials to allow the broadest range of applications. The potential applications for the distributed power system include autonomously-operating intelligent chips, flexible thin-film electronic circuits, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), ultra-high density data storage devices, nanoelectromagnetics, quantum electronic devices, biochips, nanorobots for medical applications and mechanical nano-fabrication, etc.

King, Glen C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Passive Mitigation of Cascading Propagation in Multi-Cell Lithium Ion Batteries

The heat generated during a single cell failure within a high energy battery system can force adjacent cells into thermal runaway, creating a cascading propagation effect through the entire system. This work examines the response of modules of stacked pouch cells after thermal runaway is induced in a single cell. The prevention of cascading propagation is explored on cells with reduced states of charge and stacks with metal plates between cells. Reduced states of charge and metal plates both reduce the energy stored relative to the heat capacity, and the results show how cascading propagation may be slowed and mitigated as this varies. These propagation limits are correlated with the stored energy density. Results show significant delays between thermal runaway in adjacent cells, which are analyzed to determine intercell contact resistances and to assess how much heat energy is transmitted to cells before they undergo thermal runaway. A propagating failure of even a small pack may stretch over several minutes including delays as each cell is heated to the point of thermal runaway. This delay is described with two new parameters in the form of gap-crossing and cell-crossing time to grade the propensity of propagation from cell to cell.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extreme fast charge aging: Correlation between electrode scale and heterogeneous degradation in Ni-rich layered cathodes

Extreme fast charging (XFC) is a key requirement for the adoption of battery-based electric vehicles by the transportation sector. However, XFC has been shown to accelerate degradation, causing the capacity, life, and safety of batteries to deteriorate. There are no systematic studies in the open literature regarding aging modes in Ni-rich Li y Ni 0.a Mn 0.b Co 0.c O 2 (NMCabc) cathodes caused by fast charging. Herein, we report the effects of cathode composition and electrode loading in pouch cells containing NMC532, 622 and 811 paired with graphite and cycled under XFC conditions. The relative anisotropic volume change in the unit cell increases with Ni content in low-loading cells, while it levels up for all three NMC cathodes in high-loading cells because of substantial Li plating. The amounts of lithium plating and heterogeneity on the anode, determined by crystallographic phase quantification, were found to be correlated with electrode loading and cathode heterogeneity. The concentrations of the transition metals deposited on the anodes depend on NMCabc composition in a complex way. More particle cracking and surface degradation was found in NMC811. Here, the findings in this work provide a new understanding of the failure mechanisms and their practical implications for compositional tuning of future high-Ni NMCabc cathode materials during fast charging.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

An unwanted guest in the electrochemical oxidation of high-voltage Li-ion battery electrolytes: the life of highly reactive protons

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are central to the urgent societal need to decarbonize both transportation and energy storage on the grid. Unfortunately, despite their attractive energy/power density, as well as high coulombic and energy efficiencies, further improvement of this technology – especially their durability – is desperately needed. To support these efforts, our study focuses on fundamental understanding of the decomposition pathways for LIB electrolytes at the cathode–electrolyte interface (CEI), as the nature of these reactions directly controls the extent to which cell capacity and voltage decays in these systems. In this study, we employ electrochemical methods, coupled with product analysis using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, to determine the decomposition mechanisms in both model and technologically relevant electrolytes. Remarkably, we discovered the electrochemical formation of protons with high chemical activity, comparable to known superacids, at potentials relevant to practical Li-ion batteries. Their reactivity toward every individual component of the CEI provides a unified thermochemical origin for a myriad of side reactions that are commonly associated with the electrochemical reaction. In particular, electrochemically generated protons react with intact EC molecules to form CO 2 and other short and long chain ethers. They also undergo an acid–base reaction with LiPF 6 , to form the weaker acid HF, and with the cathode active material, leaching transition metals into the electrolyte. Collectively, the results of this study all point to the urgent need to either mitigate this proton formation or introduce benign harvesting additives via new electrolyte design strategies.

Ilic, Stefan [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), A↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mitigating Battery Cell Failure: Role of Ag‐Nanoparticle Fillers in Solid Electrolyte Dendrite Suppression

Abstract The development of solid‐state batteries (SSBs) with lithium Li metal anodes holds significant promise for enhancing the energy density and safety of next‐generation energy storage systems. However, their commercialization is hindered by challenges related to Li dendrite formation, which can lead to short circuits and battery failure. In this study, the role of Ag nanoparticles embedded within solid electrolytes (SE) is investigated in suppressing dendrite propagation. The results demonstrate that Ag nanoparticles effectively mitigate two key failure mechanisms: (1) dendrite growth within porous networks at low current densities and (2) stress intensification‐induced SE fracture at higher current densities (12 mA cm −2 ). Ex situ characterization using focused‐ion beam – scanning electron microscopy (FIB–SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS,) reveals that Ag nanoparticles migrate alongside advancing Li dendrites, promoting homogeneous dendrite growth and reducing the likelihood of localized stress concentrations. Additionally, the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles is shown to facilitate a more uniform Li distribution toward the anode side, which can potentially enable the use of higher charging rates in SSBs. This study provides a new perspective on Li dendrite suppression and presents new opportunities for enhancing the performance and safety of SSBs.

Diallo, Mouhamad Said↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tracking Spatiotemporal Electric Potential in Batteries Using High-Resolution Operando X‑ray Transmission Imaging

The formation of significant concentration gradients across electrolytes in batteries affects the rate at which electrochemical reactions occur. In this work, we use high-resolution operando X-ray transmission imaging to capture spatiotemporal salt concentration profiles c(x,t) in a symmetric cell comprising a polymer electrolyte sandwiched between two lithium–indium alloy electrodes during a constant-current experiment followed by open-circuit relaxation. The decay of open-circuit potential is related to the concentration dependence of the potential across concentration cells, U. We show how operando c(x,t) data can be used to calculate the spatiotemporal electric potential “inside” the polarized electrolyte. We track the spatial- and time-dependent cell potential during the constant-current step and distinguish its two contributions: a concentration overpotential governed by U. and an ohmic contribution governed by ionic conductivity. Over most of the time window, the concentration overpotential dominates. At steady state, it is a factor of 7 larger than the ohmic contribution. Such findings indicate that efforts to design new polymer electrolytes should focus on minimizing concentration gradients.

Electrical conductivity↗
DOE OSTI2023

Natural Gas Community of the Future (Final Report)

Nicor Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company Gas and its parent company Southern Company, is developing the concept of the Carbon-neutral, Affordable, Resilient, and Equitable Community ("CARE Community") to address the challenges of accessibility and affordability of grid-interactive efficient buildings in historically disadvantaged communities. The CARE Community is a new construction net-zero energy and carbon neutral residential neighborhood consisting of 50 homes with electricity and natural gas services in South Suburban Chicago, built as low-income affordable housing. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is assisting Southern Company to explore how energy efficiency, renewable technologies, and the reliability and resilience of natural gas can be combined and optimized in an islandable energy system as part of a broader effort to understand the role natural gas plays in future communities integrated with renewable energy and improved energy efficiency. The CARE Community will demonstrate how energy efficiency, distributed energy resources (DERs), and advanced controls can be combined with existing natural gas infrastructure to serve historically disadvantaged communities in a cold climate with low energy cost for affordable housing programs and enhanced resilience to withstand extreme weather. Homes will be a part of an islandable energy system, integrating multiple DER technologies such as solar panels, natural gas fuel cells, reciprocating natural gas engines, and battery storage. The CARE Community will provide a replicable template that affordable housing developers and energy companies can adopt throughout the United States. In this report, we present the design and modeling of the community and potential approaches for integrating DERs. We analyze and discuss annual simulations under normal operating conditions and week-long simulations under electric power grid outage conditions.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Powering the Moon: From Artemis Technology Demonstrations to a Lunar Economy

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working towards developing and demonstrating new technologies, capabilities, and business approaches that are needed for future human deep space exploration missions. This includes collaborating with commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon under the Artemis mission. Artemis lunar surface operations begin with robotically exploring the lunar south polar region for locations suitable for harvesting lunar surface resources. Over time, activities will expand beyond robotic operations, increasing the need for highly reliable and available electrical power. Beyond Artemis, there are interests in full commercial lunar surface activities. A lunar microgrid is being proposed to deliver highly reliable and available electrical power on the lunar surface and meet the power needs. Microgrids are of interest in terrestrial applications due to their ability to integrate a variety of renewable power sources. A similar approach can be taken for the lunar surface. A lunar microgrid would offer the ability to integrate various power sources to maximize power availability, including nuclear, solar arrays, batteries, and regenerative fuel cells. Microgrids are flexible and can be designed to allow for islanded operation, where power is utilized near the loads to minimize power distribution losses, or in a power sharing mode where power is transmitted longer distances. This capability is crucial during failures where overall power availability is reduced. Microgrids will also allow for the power system to grow and evolve over time, meeting the need to expand beyond initial lunar surface activities.

Jeffrey Csank↗