Frontiers in Materials Science
2009
Argonne Distinguished Fellow
Electrochemical Energy Storage Department
Argonne National Laboratory
The Joys and Failures of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Lithium-Ion Batteries - Challenges and Opportunities in an Evolving Lithium Economy
Friday, October 23, 2009
EMSL 1077
9:00AM
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have had a profound and revolutionary impact on the battery market since their launch in commercial products by Sony Corporation in 1991. The ability to tailor the cell voltage by varying the electrochemical potential of anode and cathode host structures to the uptake and release of lithium during charge and discharge makes lithium-ion battery technology extremely versatile in contrast to other technologies such as lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride and the high-temperature sodium-sulfur and sodium-nickel chloride systems that operate essentially off fixed cell chemistries. It is not surprising, therefore, that lithium-ion batteries have become significant in powering both small and large, high energy and high power applications - from smart cards, through implantable medical devices, portable communication equipment, hybrid- and all-electric vehicles to stationary energy storage. In this presentation, an account of the progress made over the past 30 years in advancing and exploiting lithium battery science and technology from a research curiosity to commercial reality, and the challenges and opportunities that remain, will be given.
Maria Skyllas-Kazacos
Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos
University of New South Wales,
School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering
Membrane Materials Optimization for the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery
Vanadium Batteries Promising for Large-Scale Energy Storage Materials
Wednesday, May 26, 2009
EMSL/1075
9:00AM
The All-Vanadium Redox Battery (V-VRB) was pioneered at the University of New South Wales in the 1980's, and the technology has already been successfully implemented in renewable energy storage applications Japan, USA, and Australia. While the technology has been proven in systems up to 6MWh, its more widespread commercialization in large grid-connected applications has required further cost reduction to compete with fossil fuel power generation options. New materials, stack designs, and control systems are being developed to achieve the cost structure that will be needed in many of the larger-scale grid connected renewable energy storage applications that are emerging around the world. Significant improvements in membranes and electrode materials have been made by V-Fuel Pty Ltd, the new start-up company established to commercialize the University of New South Wales vanadium battery technology and these promise to achieve the necessary cost and performance figures required for large-scale commercialization of the VRB in large wind-farms and distributed power systems around the world.
Anil V. Virkar
Dr. Anil V. Virkar
Professor of Materials Science
& Engineering
University of Utah
The Sodium-Sulfur Storage Battery:
History, current status, challenges and opportunities for R&D and commercialization
A Jolt of Energy Use
Thursday, April 9, 2009
ETB Columbia River Room
The sodium-sulfur (NaS) battery is a highly efficient, durable, energy storage battery for applications in load leveling in the utility industry and for renewable energy. It consists of a highly refractory solid electrolyte (sodium beta"-alumina solid electrolyte, BASE), liquid sodium as anode and liquid sulfur impregnated in graphite as cathode. Typical operating temperature of the NaS battery is ~300°C with an open circuit voltage of ~2.08 V. Systems by NGK/TEPCO as large as 8 MW with an 8 hour discharge (64 MWh) have been in operation for over 7 years. This is by far the most advanced electrochemical system based on a solid electrolyte. The seminar will first present a brief history of the NaS battery followed by its current status.
Sheng Dai
Sheng Dai
Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.
Ionic liquids for syntheses of sol-gel and low-dimensional materials
Nanomaterial Chemist Has Sights Set on Ionic Liquids
Monday, January 26, 2009
EMSL 1077
1:30PM
Ionic systems consisting of salts that are liquidus at ambient temperatures can act as solvents for a broad
spectrum of chemical species. These ionic liquids are attracting increased attention worldwide. A very unique
intrinsic property of these liquids is that they consist only of ions and that they can be made hydrophobic! The
novel dual property of these ionic liquids makes them efficient solvents for both inorganic and organic species.
The unique solvation environment of these ionic liquids provides new reaction media for controlling formation
of polymeric materials and tailoring morphologies of advanced materials. Challenges and opportunities in this
research area will be discussed.
Zhong Lin Wang
Zhong Lin (Z.L.) Wang
Prof. Zhong L. Wang's Nano Research Group
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Exploring Innovative Nanotechnologies for Energy Harvesting Highlight
Monday, January 26, 2009
EMSL 1077
2:30PM
Nanogenerators and Nanopiezotronics: Developing novel technologies for wireless nanodevices and nanosystems are of critical importance for
sensing, medical science, defense technology and even personal electronics. It is highly desired for wireless
devices and even required for implanted biomedical devices to be self-powered without using battery.
Therefore, it is essential to explore innovative nanotechnologies for converting mechanical energy (such as
body movement, muscle stretching), vibration energy (such as acoustic/ultrasonic wave), and hydraulic
energy (such as body fluid and blood flow) into electric energy that will be used to power nanodevices
without using battery. We have demonstrated an innovative approach for converting nano-scale mechanical
energy into electric energy by piezoelectric zinc oxide nanowire (NW) arrays. The operation mechanism of
the electric generator relies on the unique coupling of piezoelectric and semiconducting dual properties of
ZnO as well as the elegant rectifying function of the Schottky barrier formed between the metal tip and the
NW. Based on this mechanism, we have recently developed DC nanogenerator driven by ultrasonic wave in
bio-fluid. We have also used textile fibers for energy harvesting. This presentation will introduce the
fundamental principle of nanogenerator and its potential applications. Finally, a new field on nanopiezotronics
is introduced, which uses piezoelectric-semiconducting coupled property for fabricating novel
and unique electronic devices and components. More Information . . .