Creating Soft-Batteries by Simple and Rapid Processes and Innovating Capacity by Reversible Structure Change

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H06368
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Reaction engineering/Process system
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Noda Suguru 早稲田大学, 理工学術院, 教授 (50312997)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 門間 聰之 早稲田大学, 理工学術院, 教授 (10277840) ; 山田 裕貴 東京大学, 大学院工学系研究科(工学部), 准教授 (30598488) ; 獨古 薫 横浜国立大学, 大学院工学研究院, 教授 (70438117)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-05-31 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: リチウムイオン電池 / 高エネルギー密度 / 材料プロセス / 三次元界面 / 可逆的構造変化 / カーボンナノチューブ / 窒化ホウ素ナノチューブ / 低環境負荷

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A novel battery architecture and its manufacturing process were proposed and developed to meet society's high demand for high energy-density rechargeable batteries. Since high-capacity active materials such as silicon and sulfur undergo large volume changes as a large amount of lithium ions move in and out of them, reversible operation was realized by holding them in electrically conductive and mechanically flexible sponge films of carbon nanotubes. The “soft battery” that maintains a constant volume and works stably while having shrinking/expanding cathode/anode during charge (and vice versa during discharge) was developed, and a high energy density was achieved.

Free Research Field

反応工学、材料プロセス、カーボンナノチューブ合成、エネルギーデバイス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自動車等の電動化や再生可能電力の平準化に向けて蓄電池のエネルギー密度向上が強く望まれている。全固体電池のように堅牢さで安全性を担保する考えが主流だが、堅牢なセパレータを薄く軽く作るのは容易ではない。高エネルギー密度電池では電極の体積変化が不可避であり、柔軟な電極からなる安定な二次電池という真逆の電池アーキテクチャを実証、学術的意義が大きい。集電体に炭素、正極に硫黄、負極に珪素やリチウムという軽元素を用いた本二次電池は資源面にも優れ、社会的意義も大きい。