Project Overview

Replacing flammable liquid electrolytes with solid ionic conductors attracted increasing attention in the electric vehicle (EV) battery market for improved battery safety. Ceramic ion conductors are mechanically fragile and not ready for applications of small volume and energy-dense batteries in today’s market. Our team developed composite electrolytes that are processed into ultra-thin membranes and demonstrated significantly extended cycle life compared to ceramic electrolytes. Additional coating layers are designed based on the electrolyte composition enabling further enhanced energy output and cycle life. This project aims to accelerate the delivery of the market-ready products – a series of composite electrolyte membranes – to potential users, the EV battery manufacturers. Two industrial partners representing the end-users and stakeholders of the technology proposed will participate in the research, development, scale-up, pilot production, and prototype demonstration of the composite electrolyte materials.