Crosslinked Redox Polymer Electrodes for Aqueous Battery Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrode active materials and battery systems face challenges in achieving high reliability, high capacity, long-life, and safe energy storage, particularly in large-scale applications such as utility grid storage and full-home backup installations, due to limitations in production and safety hazards associated with existing battery technologies.
Innovation Solution
Development of crosslinked polymers and related compositions, including network and dendritic polymers with specific redox active moieties, which are used to create high-performance electrochemical cells and batteries with aqueous electrolytes, offering enhanced stability, capacity, and safety through their unique molecular structure and redox potential.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrode active materials are used, then production is simplified, but reliability and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite crosslinked polymer structures combining redox-active monomers (Q) with comonomeric moieties (Z) to create network polymers that integrate multiple functional properties. This composite approach enables simultaneous achievement of high reliability through crosslinked stability, high capacity via redox-active groups, and controlled solubility through the network structure, resolving the contradiction between reliability improvement and structural complexity.
2Quantity of substance
If high capacity battery materials are used, then energy storage capacity increases, but safety hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes aqueous electrolytes instead of conventional organic electrolytes, fundamentally changing the chemical environment parameter. This parameter change enables high capacity redox reactions while eliminating flammability hazards associated with organic solvents. The crosslinked polymer structure further stabilizes the system by preventing polymer dissolution and maintaining structural integrity during high-capacity cycling.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional battery materials are used, then spatial footprint is larger, but capacity is lower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality optimization by incorporating multiple redox-active moieties (Q) within each polymer repeat unit, enabling multi-electron transfer reactions at localized sites. The crosslinked network structure maximizes the utilization of redox-active groups by preventing polymer aggregation and ensuring accessible active sites. This local optimization of redox functionality within the polymer structure achieves high capacity per unit volume, reducing the spatial footprint required for a given energy storage capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The crosslinked polymers enable the production of batteries with high capacity (at least 50 mAh/g), long life-time (e.g., at least 4 years), and reduced safety hazards, including low flammability, while also minimizing spatial footprint and replacement needs, thereby addressing the limitations of existing battery technologies.
Implementation Method 1
Q is a redox active monomeric organic moiety comprising a carbocyclic structure and at least one carbonyl group or a carboxyl group presented on the carbocyclic structure, Q having a redox potential of 0.5 V to 3.0 V with reference to Li/Li+ electrode potential under standard conditions
Data Source
AI summary
Crosslinked polymers and related compositions and related compositions, electrochemical cells, batteries, methods and systems are described. The crosslinked polymers have at least one redox active monomeric moiety having a redox potential of 0.5 V to 3.0 V with reference to Li/Li+ electrode potential under standard conditions or −2.54 V to −0.04 V vs. SHE and has a carbocyclic structure and at least one carbonyl group or a carboxyl group on the carbocyclic structure. The crosslinked polymers also include at least one comonomeric moiety with at least one of the at least one redox active monomeric moiety and/or the at least one comonomeric moiety has a denticity of three to six corresponding to a three to six connected network polymer, and provide stable, high capacity organic electrode materials.