71
An
Advanced Cathode Material for Li-ion Batteries--A123
Systems, 8 Saint Mary’s Street, 6th floor, Boston, MA
Yet
Ming Chiang, Principal Investigator, yet@a-123.com
Ric Fulop, Business Official, ric@a-123.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-02ER86138
Amount:
$100,000
Research Institute
Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Cambridge
,
Currently
available Li-ion batteries do not meet Department of Energy targets for electric
vehicle (EV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications. The specific problem is that currently available cathode materials do not
allow the specific energy and power density targets to be achieved while
simultaneously being low cost, safe under abusive conditions, and
environmentally benign. This project
will develop electronically
conductive lithium cathode materials, which
have low raw materials and manufacturing costs, high energy and power density,
and are environmentally benign and electrochemically stable. These materials are
expected to be the first low-cost Li cathode materials to exhibit high
electronic conductivity at room temperature. Phase I will synthesize and
characterize the lithium materials with high electronic conductivity in the
complete absence of conductive additives. Novel
particle morphologies, consisting of nanoscale primary crystallites in
partially-sintered aggregate particles, will be used to optimize power density.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: In lithium ion battery cathode applications, the high electronic conductivity coupled with tailored particle design should allow near-theoretical energy densities to be achieved at high power densities and operating conditions relevant to EV and HEV technology.