2019 Archived Content

Cambridge EnerTech’s

Increasing Efficiency and Thermal Stability of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Advances in Material, Chemical, and Electrochemical Engineering

October 22, 2019

A revolutionary paradigm is required to design new stable anode, cathode, and electrolyte chemistries, as well as engineer separator materials that provide lithium-ion batteries with higher energy, higher power, longer lifetime, and superior safety. Coordinated efforts in fundamental research and advanced engineering are needed to effectively combine new materials, electrode architectures, and manufacturing technologies.

Final Agenda

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

7:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee

8:30 Organizer’s Welcome

Mary Ann Brown, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge EnerTech

8:35 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

Alevtina White-Smirnova, PhD, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Applied Biological Sciences, Materials Engineering and Science Program, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; Director, NSF IUCRC Center for Green Solid-State Electric Power Generation and Storage

8:40 Pushing the Energy Limits of Lithium-Ion Batteries Through Fluorinated Materials

Joseph Sunstrom, PhD, Senior Applications Development Chemist, Daikin-America

Due to recent accelerated development in the EV market, there has been a move towards higher energy density batteries which presents a potential safety issue. A key component contributing to the safety of the lithium-ion battery is the electrolyte. This talk addresses the effect on electrochemical and safety performance of introducing fluorinated components into the electrolyte.

9:10 Electrolyte Chemistries with Responsive Polymers for Thermal Safety in Li-Ion Batteries

Jesse C. Kelly, PhD, Team Lead and Research Scientist, Materials Research Group, Technology Development Division, Luna Innovations, Inc.

9:40 Accelerating Development of High-Nickel Cathodes

Dee Strand, PhD, CSO, Wildcat Discovery Technologies

High-nickel cathodes can deliver improved energy density relative to today’s materials. However, these materials suffer from poor lifetime and durability. Variations in electrode composition can impact the performance of the material. This presentation highlights parameters that can accelerate implementation of high-nickel cathodes in applications. The presentation focuses on approaches other than compositional changes to the NMC811 to improve cycle life in high-loading electrodes.

10:10 Networking Coffee Break

10:30 Tuning Salt Structures Enabled Cycling Stability of Lithium and Lithium-Ion Batteries

Xiao-Guang Sun, PhD, Research Scientist, Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The degradation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) mainly results from electrolyte reactions at the electrodes and the formation of solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs). One of the effective ways to improve battery cycling performance is to use sacrificial additives that can form thin and stable SEIs to prevent continual electrolyte reactions. This talk will present how to tune salt structures as additives to improve cycling stability of LIBs.

11:00 Delayed Voltage Increase in LiFePO4/Graphite Li-Ion Cells During Fixed Resistive Load Over-Discharge

Kyle Crompton, PhD, Scientist, Power and Energy Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division

A rapid voltage increase has been observed in a LiFePO4/graphite Li-ion cell several hours after the application of a fixed resistive load meant to over-discharge the cell. 3-electrode measurements indicated that the cell voltage increase is driven by a rapid anode potential decrease after the anode is at the copper oxidation potential for about 4 hours. SEM/EDS and XPS data indicate that the PF6-anion in the electrolyte is involved in the decrease of anode potential, likely undergoing an oxidative breakdown on the surface of the anode.

11:30 Manufacturing Technology of All-solid-state Thin-film Li Secondary Battery for IoT and Smart Society

Akiyoshi_Suzuki Akiyoshi Suzuki, Engineer, ISET/GMTS, ULVAC, Inc.

Smart IoT device, which is heterogeneous-integration packaged with microprocessor, MEMS sensor/actuator, wireless communication module, and stand-alone power supply including micro battery and energy harvesting device, is essential to realize “Smart Society”. We have been developing vacuum-technology based manufacturing solutions for these technologies. In this talk, we will introduce the technology of all- solid-state thin-film lithium secondary battery as micro battery.

12:00 pm Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

12:30 Session Break

2:00 Chairperson’s Remarks

Dee Strand, PhD, CSO, Wildcat Discovery Technologies

2:05 FEATURED PRESENTATION: High-Voltage Stable Solid-State Li-Ion Electrolytes Derived from Li-Based Garnet-Type Structure

Venkataraman Thangadurai, PhD, Professor and Associate Head, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

Li-based garnet-type structure solid Li-ion electrolytes have drawn much attention in commercialization in next-generation robust, stable, and high-power energy density all-solid-state Li batteries. In this talk, crystal structure-composition Li-ion conductivity relationship in Li-stuffed garnets will be presented, together with chemical and electrochemical stability with elemental Li and high-capacity electrodes.

2:35 Material Designs for Lithium Polymer Batteries with High Energy Density

Yuan Yang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University

PEO-based polymer electrolyte is attractive for solid-state batteries as they are easy to process and compatible with current manufacturing processes. However, PEO has poor stability above 4V and poor ionic conductivity at room temperature. In this talk, I will present a recent study to improve the interfacial stability between PEO and 4V cathode (e.g. LiCoO2) and to enhance ionic conductivity of PEO electrolyte by manipulating the arrangement of ceramic solid electrolyte inside. 4V PEO-based lithium battery with long cycle life is achieved.

3:05 All-Solid-State Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Antiperovskite Glass-Ceramic Electrolytes

A relatively new class of solid-state lithium halide electrolytes with antiperovskite crystal structure has been tested to alleviate safety concerns related to conventional lithium-ion batteries and provide broad temperature range for safe battery operations. The absence of phase transformations in the range of 25-100° C and the observed electrochemical stability in the presence of lithium metal makes these materials particularly promising for a new generation of all-solid-state lithium-ion or lithium metal batteries.

3:35 Networking Refreshment Break

4:00 Cobalt-Based Heusler Alloy for Multiple Applications

Bishnu R. Dahal, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physics, South Dakota State University

Several cobalt-based Heusler alloys have been studied for various applications. Co2TiGe is one of the predicted ferromagnetic Weyl semimetals. In this talk, I will present weak localization and small anomalous Hall conductivity in half-metallic Co2TiGe thin films. The longitudinal resistivity shows semi-metallic behavior. Negative longitudinal magnetoresistance is observed from 5 to 300 K. The measured anomalous Hall conductivity decreases with increasing temperature.

4:30 PANEL DISCUSSION: Bridging the Academia and Industry Gap for Next-Generation Safe LIBs

Improvements in LIBs are the result of intense collaboration between academia and industry. As applications become more demanding, there is the risk of abuse. Scientific literature includes many reports describing material designs with superior and safe performance. However, a considerable gap needs to be filled if we wish these laboratory-based achievements to reach commercialization.

Moderator: Dee Strand, PhD, CSO, Wildcat Discovery Technologies

Panelists: Brian Barnett, PhD, President, Battery Perspectives LLC

Bishnu R. Dahal, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physics, South Dakota State University

Jesse C. Kelly, PhD, Team Lead and Research Scientist, Materials Research Group, Technology Development Division, Luna Innovations, Inc.

Joseph Sunstrom, PhD, Senior Applications Development Chemist, Daikin-America

Venkataraman Thangadurai, PhD, Professor and Associate Head, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

Yuan Yang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University

5:30 Close of Increasing Efficiency and Thermal Stability of Lithium-Ion Batteries and Dinner Workshop Registration

6:00 – 9:00 Dinner Workshop*

W1: How to Qualify Your Batteries to Prevent Failures & Thermal Events

Vidyu Challa, PhD, Technical Director, DfR Solutions

Gain an understanding of lithium-ion battery failure mechanisms and the pathway to thermal runaway events
Learn about the top causes of battery field failures, and the major areas where you need to have mitigation strategies
Learn how cell design plays a critical role in battery safety and reliability, and what you can do from a design perspective to prevent these failures
Learn the basic steps in a lithium-ion cell manufacturing process, and the process controls required to ensure cell safety and reliability
Learn about the battery management system and its role in system safety
Come away with a checklist of things you should do to qualify your cell manufacturer – pass down requirements, trust but verify (design, manufacturing, compliance-based testing, system-level tolerances, application-specific battery testing, battery management system, cell CT scans and teardowns and lastly, user education)

*Separate registration required.

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