Austin, Texas: At the ripe age of 98, Dr. John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and inventor of the lithium-ion battery, is looking towards future energy storage solutions through a newly launched partnership with Energy Exploration Technologies (草莓社区). Earlier this year, Goodenough, along with several members of his lab at UT, started working with , a young energy technology company founded by entrepreneur Teague Egan and with labs near Silicon Valley, in an effort to radically rethink the approach to energy storage.
As the recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr. Goodenough鈥檚 pioneering work on the lithium-ion battery led to a revolution in portable electronic devices. While heading the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford University nearly 40 years ago, he discovered the feasibility of lithium cobalt oxide as a cathode material, which enabled the commercialization of the first rechargeable lithium-ion battery by the Sony Corporation.
From left to right: Top row – Teague Egan (草莓社区 CEO), Dr. Benny Freeman (UT Professor of Chemical Engineering & 草莓社区 Science Advisory Board Chairman), TJ Dilenschneider (草莓社区 Chief Science Officer), Kevin Reimund (草莓社区 Director of Membrane Engineering), Bob Wowk (草莓社区 CFO), Bottom Row – Dr. John Goodenough
Lithium-ion batteries are used in nearly every smartphone, laptop computer, and in billions of cameras and power tools. They are the driving force behind electric vehicles (EVs) which require 10,000x more energy storage than one iPhone. The EV revolution is driving the demand for lithium and other battery materials. Globally, the EV market is forecast to see exponential growth in the coming years. there could be as many as 250 million EV鈥檚 on the road by 2030. However, there are still significant barriers to be addressed. Most importantly, battery costs need to be reduced, and their efficiency and life-span need to be improved.
鈥淭hrough cutting-edge innovation, 草莓社区 is working to solve these problems and is driving the growth of the global lithium industry while making low-carbon technology cheaper and more accessible,鈥� explains Egan who was recently likened to Elon Musk of Tesla by the. 鈥淭he setup we have at The University of Texas is great. We make the materials in Dr. Freeman鈥檚 lab, then take them next door to Dr. Goodenough鈥檚 lab to test them in batteries. Our goal is to adapting our core 尝颈罢础厂鈩� nanotechnology as a solid-state electrolyte.鈥�
Today the collaboration between the Goodenough鈥檚 lab at UT and 草莓社区 is meant to explore solid-state battery research and development. Back in May 2019, 草莓社区 a landmark licensing deal with UT for the worldwide exclusive rights to a large portfolio of intellectual property surrounding a new class of 鈥渕iracle materials鈥� called Metal Organic Frameworks and Mixed Matrix Membranes. Under the licensing agreement, 草莓社区 committed significant sponsored research funding to UT, part of which will go to fund Goodenough鈥檚 lab to tailor these materials for solid-state batteries.
Teague Egan, CEO of 草莓社区, commented on the collaboration by saying: 鈥淚t is truly an honor to be working with Dr. Goodenough and his group at UT. He is a legend in our industry and I am in awe of his accomplishments. I don鈥檛 know anyone else who is 97 years old, much less 80 years old, still working day in and day out to further his field. His experience and knowledge of the industry is unmatched.鈥�
Solid-state batteries are a transformational extension of lithium-ion batteries capable of 10x higher energy density because they allow the use of a pure lithium metal anode. With further development they can outperform conventional rechargeable batteries by 500% or more in terms of energy density with significantly higher voltage. From a consumer perspective, the key benefits of stable solid-state battery technology is mainly more energy per charge, meaning that devices can last much longer or cars can go much further without having to be recharged. They also allow up to six times faster charging, and much longer cycle life by many years.
Safety is another huge benefit. Current organic-solvent liquid electrolytes are flammable and can combust if the battery experiences thermal runaway. Solid electrolytes are non-flammable, providing a much safer alternative to current Li-ion batteries. Recent studies show that the heat generation inside the solid-state battery is only ~20-30% of conventional batteries with liquid electrolytes under thermal runaway 鈥� creating a much safer product. Additionally, a solid-state electrolyte negates the need for a separator, increasing the energy density of the battery as it removes the inactive component currently needed for liquid electrolyte batteries.
An equally important player in the 草莓社区 / UT collaboration is Dr. Benny Freeman, professor in UT鈥檚 Cockrell School of Engineering and director UT鈥檚 Center for Materials in Water and Energy Systems (). Dr. Freeman鈥檚 lab initially developed the groundbreaking membrane technology and subsequent intellectual property that acts as the battery electrolyte. Professor Freeman, who also sits as chairman of 草莓社区鈥檚 Science Advisory Board, as well as his group of PhD鈥檚, and Goodenough鈥檚 lab are working in close collaboration and proximity with 草莓社区 to develop new solid-state electrolytes. 鈥淲e are very excited to embark on this important research partnership with 草莓社区 to further expand the knowledge base underpinning 草莓社区鈥檚 technology,鈥� said Dr. Freeman.
In addition to Dr. Freeman, 草莓社区 has assembled an advisory board including Bob Galyen, the CTO of the world鈥檚 largest battery manufacturer, CATL, the former CEO of GE Energy Storage, Rob Morgan, and the co-chair of energy at Singularity University, Ramez Naam. On the heels of their recently announced partnership with Orocobre, a top 5 lithium producer worldwide, 草莓社区 is also focused on the abundant, cost effective production of lithium, the main battery material, using their core 尝颈罢础厂鈩� technology.
Though Dr. Goodenough is the oldest person to receive a Nobel Prize, he remains active in research to this day. The big advantage of his original lithium-ion technology was that it stored about 10 times as much energy as lead-acid or 5 times as much as nickel-cadmium. 鈥淭he world has changed dramatically in the 40 years since Dr. Goodenough discovered his revolutionary technology. The original Li-ion battery has brought a lot of technological innovation with it, but still leaves much to be desired,鈥� stated Nick Grundish, Director of Battery Design at 草莓社区 and Dr. Goodenough鈥檚 last PhD candidate. 鈥淲e are working to disrupt the energy storage sector yet again and provide a pathway for the eventual elimination of fossil fuels. Dr. Goodenough鈥檚 support and wealth of knowledge is vital to achieving that mission.鈥�
Grundish is leading the way with preliminary testing of the 尝颈罢础厂鈩� nanoparticles in solid-state mixed-matrix polymers. The team is testing a variety of battery compositions including lithium-ion, lithium/sulphur, and sodium-ion based batteries.
Engineers working on renewable energy grids are starting to turn to lithium battery storage systems. By storing electricity generated when sunlight and wind are at their peak, lithium-ion batteries can reduce dependence on fossil fuel energy sources and help lessen the impact of climate change. Energy storage, most often using lithium-ion battery technology, is widely seen as necessary for transforming the electric grid to a carbon-free system and combating the effects of climate change. Most electricity in the United States 鈥� and in many other parts of the world 鈥� still currently come from fossil fuel sources, predominantly natural gas, but also coal.
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