Rethinking Lithium Energy Storage and Battery Architecture

Roland Pitts

Founding Scientist

Planar Energy Devices

Orlando, FL 32805

Compare specific and power

Solid-state batteries change the game in energy storage

Eliminate liquid electrolytes, fillers, and binders

Allows safe use of high energy electrodes

Achieves 2X energy density and specific energy

Reduce cost by new process technology

New batteries in market near term (2-3 y)

Revolutionary concepts in the future (10-20 y)

Process innovation yields cost reduction

Why are battery improvements important?

Increase human mobility and connectivity

Safety, emergency and back-up power

Provide strategic energy sources

Improve energy efficiency (transportation)

Provide increased stability for the electric grid

Shift delivery time for renewable energy

What is the state of the art?

During use (discharge)ions move from anode to cathode

Figure courtesy C. Daniel JOM Vol. 60, No.9 pp. 43-48, 2008

Progress in Li-ion has been slow

Progress has historically followed an evolutionary route, single component improvement

Chemistries limited

Cycle life and shelf life limited

Safety of current batteries must be managed by external devices (Battery Management System)

Cost too high for many applications

How can we break this paradigm?

Revise the battery architecture

Eliminate inactive materials

Eliminate the polymer separator

Eliminate reactive materials and replace with stable, high performance materials

Engineer material interfaces to minimize resistance and promote ion transfer

Change fabrication process technology

Do it all at the same time

What are short and long term implications of this strategy?

Expect 2X improvement in energy density, specific energy, and cycle life in 2-3 years

Side benefits of much improved safety and 50% reduction in cost to manufacture per kWh

Leads to a 4X reduction in cost of energy storage

In the 10-20 year horizon, look for 4 − 5 X improvement in energy density, specific energy, and cycle life

How can this be done? (2-3 y)

Change in architecture to solid-state batteries greatly improves battery performanceFirst step is a hybrid, solid-state anode and

separator with minimal liquid electrolyte (prototypes in test)

Second step is migration to full solid-state architecture

Change in process technology reduces cost.Modified chemical bath deposition efficiently

produces active layers of the battery in single steps, enabling roll-to-roll processing

What is the process innovation?

Use a modified chemical bath deposition technique to grow all active layers from primary chemicals

Grow semiconductor quality films, layer by layer, rapidly, and with great control of the chemistry

Films are conformal and pinhole free

Some rapid thermal processing required

Process designed for roll-to-roll fabrication.

What is the process now?

VP SP Gen 0 - 2009

VP SP Gen 3 – Q4 2010

VP SP Gen 1 – Q1 2010

VP SP Gen 2 – Q3 2010

Process Development

Batch Pilot

In LineScalable Batch

Pilot

What do the films look like?

What will it look like in the future?

Where are we in 2-3 years?Li batteries with 2X specific energy, energy

density, and cycle life

Much improved safety, 50% reduction in cost, moving toward longer cycle life (10X)

What else in 10-20 years?

Li-air, Li-S, Zn-air, Mg-ion

Another leap of 2X in specific energy, energy density

Comparisons

Courtesy: Dave DanielsonDOE (ARPA –E)

Specific Energy (Wh/kg)

Theoretical Max

Courtesy: Dave DanielsonDOE (ARPA –E)

Factor engine and gas weight and Carnot efficiency

Specific Energy (Wh/kg)

Comparisons at vehicle systems level

FACT: Batteries have the potential to rival the energy density of gasoline powered vehicles on a system level

Courtesy: Dave DanielsonDOE (ARPA –E)

Specific Energy (Wh/kg)

Batteries have the potential to rival the energy density of gasoline powered vehicles on a system level

Thank You!

Contact:

Roland PittsPlanar Energy, Inc.653 W Michigan StOrlando, FL 32805

407-459-1442 (direct)pitts@planarenergy.com