Electrochemical energy storage induces headaches in industrialists for the same reason it provides such fertile ground for academics: a working, rechargeable battery represents a tight coupling of multiphase phenomena across mechanical, thermal and electrical domains. The properties of battery materials have been well classified in the literature in an anatomical fashion, but systematic treatments of the composite battery electrode and complete storage device have been less rigorous. By treating every cycle of the battery in the materials science framework of process-performance-properties, we are exploiting the very problems that limit low cost materials to primary batteries. By linking sub micron phenomena to systematic consequences through in situ measurements, we are able to demonstrate packaging and cycling methodologies which may lead to low cost, high cycle life grid scale batteries based on Zinc and MnO2.

Low cost, abundant, defective materials for large scale electrical energy storage

246th National Meeting (2013)

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