SEAMLESS
Contact us
Alexey Koposov
SEAMLESS, which stands for “Screening of Emerging Anode Materials for Li‐based Energy Storage Systems,” is a researcher project recently awarded by the Norwegian Research Council under the NANO2021 program. SEAMLESS aims to build a platform for materials’ discovery for the batteries of the future by creating a library of silicon-based nanomaterials for the next generation of Li-ion batteries (LIBs).
The recent decade delivered a monumental change to the landscape of energy research to mitigate climate change. Such transformation strongly depends on the availability of cheap and reliable energy storage solutions. Currently, LIBs are considered to be the most promising, while also mature, technology. However, the current LIB technology is approaching its performance ceiling and significant changes in materials are required to enable higher charging rates and battery capacity.
Among the most promising strategies is the improvement of the anode materials which can enable fast charging and increase energy storage capacity. For the last decade, silicon (Si) has been regarded as the most likely candidate to supplement, or even substitute graphite for this purpose. This conviction is primarily a result of Si having almost ten times as high lithium storage capacity as graphite. However, Si still has challenges with stability during cycling, currently preventing the material from maintaining this high capacity for the number of charge and discharge cycles necessary for most applications. Therefore, alternative approaches such as nanostructuring and alloying of the Si-based battery materials are needed to enable implementation of this promising chemistry into next generation of LIBs. The present proposal is aimed to support the development of the new advanced battery materials by:
- Accelerating the development of novel materials for LIB anodes via high throughput fabrication and electrochemical testing of thin film electrodes
- Creating a library of silicon-based nanomaterials’ characteristics and performance for the next generation of LIBs
- Evaluating the applicability of the novel silicon-based nanomaterials for batteries with alternative chemistries, such as Na-ion batteries
- Expanding the Norwegian knowledgebase in the field of advanced battery materials
Led by IFE, SEAMLESS builds upon the long-term collaboration between IFE and University of Oslo. The synergy between knowledge in Si-based materials delivered by IFE and advanced characterization competence from UiO is aimed to bring Norway to the international forefront in research and innovation for advanced battery materials.