NSERC/3M Canada Industrial Research Chair in Materials for Advanced Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have been in the marketplace for 20 years. They store the greatest energy per volume or per mass of any rechargeable battery technology compatible with portable electronics. They have excellent performance and storage characteristics, long charge-discharge cycle life, no memory effect and are available at low cost. As such, they have become the power source of choice for portable electronic devices like laptop computers, cell phones, digital cameras, power tools etc. Lithium-ion batteries are now targetted for electric vehicle and grid energy storage applications. These applications demand batteries that last from 10 (auto) to 30 years (grid). Testing new chemistries in cells under realistic conditions over these time frames is more than the length of a graduate student career (not to mention a professor!) so academics have shied away from such studies. We have recently addressed this problem by demonstrating that precision measurements of the coulombic efficiency of Li-ion batteries, which takes a few weeks, can be used to project the cycle life and lifetime of Li-ion cells. One part of this proposal focuses on precision coulometry measurements, understanding cell degradation mechanisms and inventing solutions for those degradation paths. Additionally, new electrode materials, electrolytes and additives are required to further improve the energy density, lifetime and safety of lithium-ion batteries so that they will be suitable for electrified vehicles and for grid-energy storage. This search can be accelerated using the methods of combinatorial and high throughput materials science where hundreds of samples are synthesized and then tested in a single experiment. The Dahn group is the world leader in combinatorial studies of lithium-ion battery materials. This proposal is supported by 3M and 3M Canada, who are manufacturers of lithium-ion battery materials and E-One/Moli Energy Canada Ltd., a potential user of the new materials and technology developed throughout the course of this work. Other Language Version of Summary