Advanced Electrolyte Model - AEM
Advanced Electrolyte Model
A scientific modeling tool capable of exploring activity at the molecular level to simulate, diagnose and predict electrolyte behaviors.
Background
As the widespread adoption of Li‑ion batteries in electric vehicles, and other larger‑scale applications, continues, developing cells with larger energy densities and longer cycle lives and calendar lives becomes crucial. Higher energy density must be achieved without sacrificing long‑term stability. Measuring the transport properties of an electrolyte is useful for screening its effectiveness for a given application. Without question, electrolytic conductivity is the chief transport property used to evaluate candidate electrolyte systems. Conductivity trends over electrolyte composition and temperature are a unique "thumbprint" of a given chemical system. However, conductivity can exhibit complex behavior that is often poorly understood or misunderstood. A more rigorous, robust approach is needed to describe electrolytic conductivity that accounts for key contributions stemming from molecular scale interactions.
Technology Overview
Idaho National Laboratory researchers have developed the Advanced Electrolyte Model (AEM), which is a copyrighted, molecular-based, scientifically proven simulation tool. AEM revolutionizes electrolyte selection, optimizing material combinations and key design elements to make battery design and experimentation quick, accurate and responsive to specific needs. AEM predicts and catalogs electrolyte metrics, evaluating and comparing more than 35 parameters to recommend optimal solutions (Figure 1).
AEM is a scientific modeling tool capable of exploring activity at the molecular level to simulate, diagnose and predict electrolyte behaviors and interactions, and the properties that emanate from them. AEM disrupts current electrolyte knowledge and design, while serving as a force multiplier for industry.
AEM revolutionizes electrolyte selection, optimizing material combinations and key design elements to make battery design and experimentation quick, accurate and responsive to specific needs. AEM predicts and catalogs electrolyte metrics, evaluating and comparing more than 35 parameters to recommend optimal solutions.
When used as a scientific tool for battery developers, AEM explores and reports with certainty and clarity on molecular-to-macroscale level aspects of electrolyte behavior, removing the guesswork about qualification of an electrolyte for specific applications.
Stage of Development: Production
Benefits
AEM provides a significant cost advantage compared to more expensive empirical data collection techniques commonly used for screening electrolyte systems. AEM users may have reduced laboratory expenses for items such as labor, analysis, and material requisition and disposal.
For development of advanced electrolyte systems, AEM has been proven to save users significant time and resources, which may translate to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. By speeding development of new electrolyte chemistries and quickly screening a wide array of materials for key properties, AEM can provide users with time-to-market advantages compared to competitors.
Applications
AEM has immediate functionality to serve the battery development industry. Other potential applications include water processing and chemistry of desalination and distillation, medical research perusing electrolytic functions in human cells, energy systems (petroleum and gas refining), crystallization processes, ion exchange systems, and more.
Opportunity
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the Advanced Electrolyte Model technology.
This technology is eligible for the Energy I-Corps program and Department of Energy Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF).
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invests millions of dollars every year in U.S. national labs, yet without industry engagement and a business mindset at the labs, that investment has limited economic return.
Energy I-Corps pairs teams of researchers with Industry Mentors for an intensive two-month training where the researchers define technology value propositions, conduct customer discovery interviews, and develop viable market pathways for their technologies. Researchers return to the lab with a framework for industry engagement to guide future research and inform a culture of market awareness within the labs. In this way, Energy I-Corps is ensuring our national labs are maintaining and strengthening U.S. competitiveness long-term.
Companies that want to be involved with the program can nominate an individual to participate as an Industry Mentor, giving them the opportunity to work closely with INL researchers to guide technical development and maximize the commercial potential of the technology.
Following Energy I-Corps program participation, the company may be eligible to team with INL researchers for the Department of Energy Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF).
The TCF is a ~$20 million competitive funding opportunity that leverages DOE and Private Sector funding to mature promising energy technologies with the potential for high impact. The TFC will match 1:1 cost share (cash or in-kind) from non-federal sources. The participating companies are then given an opportunity to exclusively license the associated intellectual property from INL.
Funding Per Award:
Funding for progressing technology maturation: $100,000-$150,000 per award
Funding for progressing cooperative development: $250,000-$750,000 per award
The goal of the TCF is two-fold. First, it is designed to increase the number of energy technologies developed at DOE’s national labs that graduate to commercial development and achieve commercial impact. Second, the TCF will enhance the Department’s technology transitions system with a forward-looking and competitive approach to lab-industry partnerships.
CW-10-12 Department of Energy
1/20/20, 10:12 AM