The development of stable, ultra high energy density and all solid state lithium batteries with excellent safety and rate performance are needed for enabling many technologies and are particulally…

This is a $4,587,500.00 cooperative agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) to develop stable, high-energy density, all-solid-state lithium batteries for space-related missions. The project aims to improve the interfaces between solid electrolyte materials and lithium anodes/metal oxide anodes to enhance battery performance and safety. XULA will establish a research center, the Solid High Energy Lithium Battery (SHELIB) Center, to conduct this multidisciplinary research in collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology, Auburn University, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, and NASA Glenn Research Center. The agreement supports XULA's efforts to engage underrepresented minority undergraduate students in cutting-edge energy storage research and development. There is no set-aside designation for this award, and it is not associated with a larger contract vehicle.

The development of stable, ultra high energy density and all solid state lithium batteries with excellent safety and rate performance are needed for enabling many technologies and are particulally important in NASA space-related missions, where space and accessibility are limited. All solid state batteries eliminate the need for flammable electrolytes and offer a promising route for compact and reliable energy storage. Solid electrolytes can increase the energy density of the cells through the use of high voltage cathodes, without sacrificing cell safety and cycle life. One of the most critical challenges with solid electrolytes is that ionic transport and charge/mass transfer across interfaces can be sluggish and severely limit battery performance. This project will focus on improving the interfaces between (i) solid electrolyte materials and lithium anode and (II) solid electrolyte materials and metal oxide anodes. Xavier university of louisiana (xula), georgia institute of technology (GA tech),auburn university (AU), US army reseanh laboratory (ARL), and NASA glenn research center (GRC) investigators will collaborate to study the interfacial properties of these materials and improve transport and stability across the interfaces that will lead to the development of solid high energy lithium batteries (shelib). Xula will create a research center called shelib center that will unite faculty from chemistry and physics and engineering departments. The goals of the center are straightforward -perform world-class research that cannot be performed by individual investigators alone, instill its interdisciplinary culture in URM students, and cultivate excitement in stem. The research core will be catalyzed by three research thrusts: (i) ceramic solid electrolytes, (II) ceramic-polymer composite solid electrolytes, and (III) solid-state battery fabrication. For the preparation of the electrolytes, we will use chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sputtering, and solution techniques. CVD and sputtering will create an optimal interface to perform these studies. These collaborative research projects will lead to advances in the field of energy storage, which is of great importance to NASA. All-solid state battery will be leak proof and therefore enable the use of new lightweight packaging, which would further improve the specific energy of the system. The project will be led by meda at xula and will contribute to improving diversity in the stem (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce by recruiting and retaining undergraduate students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups and engaging these students in cutting-edge research and development in energy storage technologies for space, one of NASA's most critical projects. Xula is the premier institution in graduating african american undergraduates in biology, chemistry, and physics. In addition, the center will strengthen and increase the research capacity and infrastructure at xula. Xula will develop related courses such as materials science and characterization and a special topic course in polymer and solid materials that will provide quality stem curricular support for students that are majoring in stem related fields. The research program combined with the materials science cuiticulum at xula will ensure that xula's undergraduate students receive the necessary skills to be successful in a materials science graduate program while creating a reliable pipeline of URM undergraduates prepared for careers in stem. Through NASA murep fellowships , highly qualified students will be exposed to research as early as their freshman year, and will benefit from continuing fellowships in later years to promote their retention. During the summer, xula students will perform research at NASA. This project will train more than 60 URM undergraduate students and expose more than 300 k-12 students to stem