Cooperative Agreement DEAR0000771

This three-year, $464,665 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering Directorate (CFDA 47.041) will fund research at the University of Illinois to develop multifunctional zwitterionic solid polymer electrolytes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. The grant supports molecular-level design of a series of lithium ion-conducting zwitterionic polyurethane electrolytes with excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability. Researchers will investigate the effect of...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Renewable Energy Research and Development program (CFDA 81.087) provides $6,223,777 in funding to Ionomr Innovations Inc., a foreign-owned small disadvantaged business located in Rochester, NY. The primary goals of this project are to: Establish and improve U.S.-based manufacturing capacity for PEMION non-PFSA ionomers and membranes, validate scalability, and...

The National Science Foundation awarded a $275,000 Project Grant to Piersica, Inc. under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to develop advanced polymer separator membranes for hybrid solid/liquid battery cells. The one-year project beginning September 15, 2022 aims to create a solid electrolyte with ionic conductivity comparable to liquid electrolytes currently used in lithium-ion batteries. The recipient will also develop a scalable solid separator using the...

This $361,918 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to develop conductive polymer electrodes and halide-conducting gel/membrane electrolytes for high energy density halide ion batteries. The award will fund process research, thin-film characterization, and electrochemical testing efforts to produce experimentally validated guidelines for optimal polymer electrode and electrolyte materials. The work will be conducted by the University of...

This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $1,401,652 awarded to the University of Illinois on October 1, 2022 will fund research into hybrid lipid-polymer membranes for ion transport applications under the federal Engineering (47.041) program. The three-year award will support the development of a new class of hybrid materials to precisely control and enhance ion transport at the nanoscale. Researchers will investigate how the nanostructures and domain sizes of block...

This $349,067 three-year Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will fund research at Tufts University examining zwitterionic polymer-based electrolytes for alkali metal ion batteries. The investigators will synthesize novel electrolytes containing zwitterionic polymers and ionic liquids in 5-80% mass fractions. They will characterize intermolecular interactions and selective transport of lithium and sodium cations using NMR, spectroscopy, and...

This $450,000 National Science Foundation project grant will fund research into ion transport and selectivity in salt-rejecting polymer membranes operating under elevated salinities and pressures. The grant was awarded on August 1, 2022 to The Regents of the University of Colorado, with completion scheduled for July 31, 2025. The project aims to investigate using polymer membranes to treat extremely salty wastewaters from desalination and oil/gas production in a way that uses less than 10% of...

The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) awarded a $4,673,728 Cooperative Agreement under the Renewable Energy Research and Development program (CFDA 81.087) to the University of California, Berkeley. The project aims to co-design catalyst, ionomer, and interface materials for durable and high-performance alkaline exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) to enable electrolyte-free operation. The project involves sub-awards to De Nora Tech, LLC...

The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) awarded a $7,631,551 Cooperative Agreement under the Renewable Energy Research and Development program (CFDA 81.087) to Ionomr Innovations Inc., a foreign-owned, self-certified small disadvantaged business located in Rochester, NY. The primary objective of this award is to establish domestic manufacturing capacity for high-performance and durable anion exchange membrane (AEM) solutions, with performance...

This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $258,000 supports the commercialization of advanced bipolar membranes for water treatment and environmental applications through July 2023. Under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program, the University of Oregon will address key challenges to develop adhesive processes for durable bipolar membranes operating at commercial scale. The project aims to improve existing industrial processes like acid and base production for water...