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Novel, High Energy Density
Intermetallic Anode Material for Li-Ion Batteries—Farasis Energy,
Inc.,
Dr. Keith D. Kepler, Principal
Investigator, kkepler@farasis.com
Dr. Yu Wang, Business Official, ywang@farasis.com
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER83950
Amount: $750,000
The current classes of anode and cathode materials used for
Li-ion batteries do not have sufficient energy density to meet many advanced
application requirements. Intermetallic
anodes have the potential to triple or quadruple the energy density over
current carbon anodes, but have not been able to achieve the cycle life
required in an economically viable manner.
This project will develop an engineered intermetallic anode that will
have a similar cycle life to that of current carbon materials, but with a much
greater energy density. The final
product will be in powdered form, and will be completely compatible with
current Li-ion manufacturing processes. In
Phase I, several approaches to make the novel
materials were developed and evaluated in coin cells. Much greater cycling efficiency and cycle
life was demonstrated with these materials.
The best materials were scaled up to make 0.2 Ah cells with LiCoO2
cathodes. Phase II will develop and
evaluate a number of the Phase I approaches and process steps for making the
high capacity anode. The best synthetic
method will be scaled up and used to make large high-energy, high-power cells
for evaluation and demonstration.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The anode material should allow the production of rechargeable Li-ion batteries with at least double the current energy density of commercially available cells, without an increase in cost. Applications should include electric and hybrid electric vehicles (including automobiles, scooters, and bikes), stationary backup power, and portable power applications (e.g., cell phones, computers, and PDAs) for both civilian and military use.