Repurposed Electronic Foundry Manufacturing was what the grant was for so it would not be a conflict to discuss the battery if the grant was for the method of Manufactoring IMO.
Lowering Battery Costs Through Repurposed Electronic Foundry Manufacturing Company Name: Neah Power Systems Program Office: Advanced Manufacturing Location: Bothell, WA Website: neahpower.com EMAIL: Dr. Chris D’Couto, President & CEO; cdcouto@neahpower.com Award Amount: $300,000 Project Term: 12 months Project Status: 12 months Participating Lab(s): Argonne National Laboratory CRITICAL NEED Battery technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past decade, but current lithium-ion battery chemistries based on a high-energy cathode and a lithium-intercalation anode, such as graphite, are reaching some of their limits when it comes to providing high-energy-density power at a low cost per unit with low capital cost for production.
Replacing graphite with lithium metal or lithium alloy is a viable method to increase energy density. Neah Power Systems has patented a three-dimensional porous silicon based lithium-metal battery that has demonstrated 1,500 watts per liter of volume and 500 watts per kilogram. This battery uses older generation computer chip manufacturing technology that is widely available throughout the world, enabling a low cost, which the company targets at $150 per kilowatt hour in high volume production. Such a low price point would make the battery applicable across industries, from small devices such as cell phones to larger applications for stationary power, automotive and grid-scale back up. Such a foundry model allows a low capital-cost ramp up into high volume production, with very high quality control. Through the SBV Pilot, the company will utilize Argonne National Laboratory staff and expertise to determine the optimal metallization scheme for porous silicon as well as reliable and reproducible processes and insights into possible causes of degradation, capacity fade and dendrite growth.
PROJECT INNOVATION + ADVANTAGES In addition to utilizing existing manufacturing technology, the battery uses existing materials for the anode, cathode, the separator and the electrolytes. This reduces the risk of new materials adoption and testing. The technology also includes a unique approach using microchip geometry to control dendrite growth. The understanding acquired through the project will improve the manufacturing of the porous silicon, in particular the metallization process. This will help the company achieve target metrics on cost, and performance, and allow longer cycle lifetime for the battery.
POTENTIAL IMPACT Economy: Developing new technologies that can piggyback on older industries preserves jobs, utilizes existing infrastructure and fosters opportunities in advanced manufacturing, including domestic job creation.
Environment: Electric vehicles reduce pollution associated with gasoline combustion. Electricity storage is also an important complement for renewable electricity systems, which vary in how much power they produce based on local weather conditions.
Security: Electric vehicles are increasingly cost-competitive with their gasoline counterparts, but consumers will remain hesitant to purchase them until their range grows longer. Higher penetration for such vehicles can dramatically reduce U.S. gasoline consumption and the country's resulting reliance on overseas oil markets.
The new collaborations with small businesses focus on the following energy technology areas:
[b
]Advanced Manufacturing: Eleven projects will focus on improving manufacturing processes specifically by developing more efficient production methods for alloys, microchannel heat exchangers, semiconductors, extreme ultraviolet materials, nanocrystals, and lithium ion batteries, among others. Six national laboratories will work with small businesses to validate their work, help scale-up production methods, and improve the efficiency of existing manufacturing processes[/quote].
About Argonne National Laboratory At Argonne National Laboratory, world-class scientists and engineers work alongside experts from industry and academia to address vital national challenges in clean energy, the environment, health, and national security. Energy efficiency programs include the development of higher-performance batteries, fuel cells, advanced vehicle engines, alternative fuels, smart electrical grids, and more efficient manufacturing and industrial technologies. Argonne has 3,350 total employees, a yearly budget of $722 million, and hosts more than 6,500 researchers every year at its six national User Facilities.
Capabilities Argonne has a range of advanced manufacturing programs, spanning numerous advanced materials, including energy storage, power conversion and composite materials. This research ranges from scale-up R&D, process intensification, and evaluating emerging manufacturing technologies.
Scale-up R&D involves taking a laboratory-developed material and developing a safe, reliable and economical commercial-scale process. This represents one of the most significant hurdles in transitioning new materials and technologies to the market. The evaluation and development of emerging manufacturing technologies enables the process intensification of materials production. The development of advanced Taylor vortex reactors for co-precipitation production enables faster stabilization, improved mixing and more uniform particle production.
By bridging the gap between small-scale laboratory research and high-volume manufacturing, Argonne is making substantial progress in the development, validation and commercialization of advanced materials chemistries.
Argonne offers customized nanoengineered coatings and equipment. Argonne creates design-optimized solutions for materials manufacturing challenges that reduce costs, improve performance and increase the lifespan of materials. Nanoengineered coatings have diverse applications in the manufacture of microelectronics, optics, sensors and solid-state detectors, to name a few.
Of the many techniques for producing nanoengineered coatings, atomic layer deposition, or ALD, offers superlative performance. Argonne’s award-winning materials scientists and engineers lead the world in the development and use of ALD. Their capabilities in materials innovation and industrial processes, combined with Argonne’s unique, world-class facilities for materials characterization and analysis, enable game-changing advances in the state of the science and meet industry’s need for new and customized nanoengineered coatings.
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