Study of bipolar battery based on carbon fiber current collectors

• Grant number: 24/01997-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Agreement: CNPq
• Principal Investigator: Evaldo Jose Corat
• Grantee: Evaldo Jose Corat
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/18572-7 - New carbon materials: their relevant space, environmental and relevant spin off applications, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/12953-7 - Study of bipolar battery based on carbon fiber current collectors, BP.JD

Abstract

The search for cleaner energy sources requires the development of new battery technologies. Lead-acid (BCA) batteries, despite their advantages (cost, useful life, recycling), need to be improved. Adding carbon can increase the service life and load acceptance of BCAs, which makes them more competitive in the market. Carbon causes water loss in batteries due to hydrogen evolution, limiting their use. As a promising solution, carbon can be used as a current collector on the negative plate. This technology can make BAC more efficient, lighter and sustainable, contributing to the transition to a cleaner energy future. An interesting modification to these collectors, developed during a PhD in our group, is the deposition of polyaniline (PAni), which, when doped with sulfate, has high conductivity, in addition to being resistant to the acidic sulfate environment. Our studies showed that a composite based on PAni/Pb, tested to prevent the evolution of the hydrogen evolution reaction from a carbon fiber, used as a current collector, was stable and with a high potential for hydrogen evolution ( up to - 0.75 V vs. Ag/AgCl). Tests were carried out to replace the negative electrode collector grid with carbon fiber coated with PAni/Pb, with surprisingly compatible results. A new model for batteries, which appears as a promising proposal compared to those currently on the market, is the aqueous manganese-lead battery, based on the deposition/dissolution of MnO2 on carbon felt as cathode and PbSO4/Pb as anode. This system has low production costs (US$ 8.6 kWh-1), long life cycle (10000 cycles), high energy density (113 Wh kg-1) and ability to operate at low temperatures (-40ºC), showing excellent stability when compared to batteries for large-scale applications currently used. The development of bipolar batteries presents itself as the state of the art in battery research, which can increase their energy density, improve efficiency and reduce production costs. However, this type of technology still presents a major challenge in the search for a single conductive material that supports both the negative and positive electrodes. Our development of the PAni/Pb composite makes it natural to use a single material, carbon fiber, as the basis for this proposal of the present project, which seeks to develop bipolar electrodes for manganese-lead batteries, using carbon fibers as the basis for the positive and negative electrodes. To improve the performance of carbon fiber as a negative electrode current collector, (PAni/Pb) will be deposited. Three types of bipolar substrates will be proposed to support the positive and negative electrodes, allowing the passage of electric current between them. Electrochemical cells will be assembled with the proposed electrodes and the system performance will be evaluated using electrochemical techniques, including Peukert test and partial state of charge test. This work will be conducted in cooperation with the company Teccer Indústria e Comércio de Produtos Cerânicos Ltda, which, through project PIPE 2023/00153-3, established research infrastructure in BCA, and will be responsible for supplying the negative active mass of lead. (AU)