WH-POWER INC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: C

Description

WH-Power (WattHour-Power, or WHP) and University of Maryland (Profs. Chunsheng Wang and Laingbing Hu) propose to produce a high entropy electrolyte (HEE) and pulp based low-cost zinc battery with –80 ˚C to 80 ˚C operation temperature range for stationary storage (grid and residential energy storage). The zinc-pulp battery is inherently safe, the cost to produce and use the battery is low, and production of the battery based on low-cost sustainable material produced and readily available in the United States. The technology can enhance energy security of the United States by reducing its reliance on foreign material, enhance grid resilience, and reduce carbon dioxide emission. The battery uses an aqueous two-salt NaCl and ZnCl2 liquid HEE (Nature Sustainability, 2023, available online) and a pulp based high ion conductivity high strength functional separator (Matter, 2022, 5 (10), 3402-3416). The HEE provide the battery with wide operation temperature range and cathode stability. The HEE electrolytes also enable uniform dendrite-free Zn plating stripping with a high Coulombic efficiency larger than 99.9%. The pulp functional separator can provide uniform anode deposition and suppress dendrite formation. Both pulp and HEE can suppress hydrogen generation by eliminating free water and zinc bound water in the electrolyte. A thick cathode enabled by embedding pulp-based ion conductor can increase the energy density by increasing the active to inactive material ratio.