“Significant milestone” in quest for safer, greener, cheaper polymer battery alternative

Researchers at Deakin University in Victoria have made a further breakthrough in the development of a greener, safer and cheaper energy storage alternative to lithium-ion batteries, via new polymer electrolyte chemistries.

The team from Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) used computer modelling and simulations to design a new type of solid-state polymer electrolyte and gauge its potential use in various types of solid-state batteries.

The research, published in the journal Nature Materials, explains that by using polymer as the ion conductor – rather than the flammable liquid solvents currently used in lithium-ion batteries – it is also safer and less expensive.

Lead researcher Dr Fangfang Chen said the team used a computer-to-lab material design strategy to find the the best compositions for polymer electrolytes.

“This work has been devoted to developing new polymer electrolyte chemistries that can be used with high-energy metals that are more abundant and less expensive than lithium, such as sodium and potassium.

“The new materials can contribute to a more sustainable, greener future battery technology, as well as providing society with safer, high-performance energy storage devices,” Dr Chen said.

“This is a significant milestone, and this process will act as a design criterion for further development in this field of research,” said Alfred Deakin Professor Maria Forsyth.

“Lithium-based technology is expensive, in-demand and increasingly scarce, so breakthroughs that provide alternative, inexpensive, and safe energy storage options are of major significance.

“We can now offer an alternative path to realising polymer-based solid-state batteries,” Forsyth said.

The research is the second significant finding published by IFM researchers in Nature Materials.

In July, a team led by Dr Xiaoen Wang and Professor Forsyth developed a solid polymer electrolyte material that can replace the flammable liquid solvents currently used in sodium batteries.

Forsyth said last week that the back-to-back discoveries had designed two effective, efficient polymer electrolytes from “different angles,” reflecting IFM’s leading position in the field.

The professor said the latest breakthrough had also demonstrated the importance of computer-to-lab research in driving new discoveries for advanced batteries, which are a key part of the shift to renewables.

Deakin is currently establishing a $9.5 million facility at Melbourne’s Burwood campus, which will expand already extensive research into sodium and lithium batteries.

The Battery Technology Research and Innovation Hub (BatTRI-Hub) upgrade will include a testing lab and pilot production line to research and manufacture advanced lithium and sodium batteries.

The expansion project includes a $5.2 million contribution from the Victorian Government via the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund (VHESIF).