PFI-RP: Developing a New Large-Scale Battery Technology

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this this Partnerships for Innovation – Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) project will be the availability of a low-cost stationary battery. Low-cost energy storage will accelerate the adoption of intermittent renewable energy. The small footprint of this battery will enable large-scale energy storage in previously inaccessible locations. Students will be trained in advanced industrial research and entrepreneurial skills. The proposed project will develop a battery with potentially an order of magnitude improvement in volumetric energy density over commercial conventional flow battery systems. This improvement is possible with a new approach in which energy is stored in solid particles, and electrical power is delivered through dissolved species in organic electrolyte. To advance translation, advances are needed in engineering the energy storage chemical reaction processes, optimizing the dissolved chemical species needed to deliver power, and designing a membrane with high conductivity but low crossover of the dissolved chemical species. Furthermore, this project will address the systems engineering and scaling challenges associated with integration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.