The Invention 

An ultra thin surface coating composed of metal oxides that, when applied to granular electrode materials on a large scale, promises to solve the structural instability of electrode materials and the resulting rapid fade of cell capacity at high voltages and high temperatures in lithium-ion batteries. 

Argonne’s innovation, a powder nanocoating technology using metal oxides, has the following features: 

• Gas-phase surface chemical reactions; 
• A layer of extremely uniform metal oxide ultrathin film on granular cathode materials with precisely controlled surface morphology: smooth, conformal, and pin-hole free so that the electrode degradation reactions in the battery can be suppressed; and 
• Film so ultra thin and precisely controlled in its thickness that the transfer of the charge across the electrode/electrolyte interface takes place with a very limited, or even a reduced, interface resistance. 

In developing a surface coating for the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries, Argonne scientists sought to satisfy two requirements simultaneously: 

• Create a uniform coating that will fully isolate electrodes from the electrolyte, and 
• Create an ultra thin film that will allow the lithium ion and electron to easily tunnel without a large increase in impedance. 

Conventional technologies have been unable to fulfill those requirements and have proved incapable of precisely controlling the coating film properties of film thickness and morphology. As a result, battery performance can be unstable.

Benefits 

The new powder coating technology provides: 

• Smooth fluidization of ultrafine powders via non-linear processing control; 
• Online, real-time monitoring of powder fluidization status and surface chemical reaction; 
• Well-controlled properties of the nanocoated film (conformity, thickness, and composition); and 
• A novel process that is scalable, less energy-intensive, and at a lower cost. 

Lithium-ion batteries made of these novel coated materials offer: 

• Isolation of electrode from electrolyte, creating greater structural stability and effectively enhancing capacity retention; 
• Greater stability; 
• Longer lifespan; 
• Higher energy/power densities; 
• Greater safety; and 
• Reduced cost and increased performance (figure 2) reliability. 

Applications and Industries 

• Hybrid electric vehicles 
• Solar cells 
• Ultracapacitors 
• Cosmetics 

Developmental Stage 

Proof of concept. Lab scale has been demonstrated; small pilot scale up is on schedule. 

The Invention 

Argonne’s Enhanced Renewable Methane Production System provides a low-cost process that accelerates biological methane production rates at least fivefold. The innovative system addresses one of the largest barriers to expanding the use of renewable methane — the naturally slow rate of production. To overcome this challenge, Argonne researchers examined the natural biology of methane production, the natural processes for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration, and the environmental quality of the water found in coal bed methane wells. Their research led to the novel, low-cost treatment that enhances the heating value of biogas, delivering a gas that is close to pipeline quality. This system offers an improved means of producing biological methane at wastewater treatment plants, farms, and landfills. 

Argonne’s system also simultaneously sequesters the CO2 produced during the process by reacting with magnesium and calcium silicate rocks. This innovation links the biological conversion (renewable carbon source being converted to methane and carbon dioxide) to a geochemical mechanism (producing solid carbonate-enriched minerals), thus eliminating CO2 emissions. 

Benefits 

• Produces near-pipeline-quality methane 
• Enables simultaneous carbon dioxide sequestration

Applications and Industries

• Wastewater treatment plants 
• Recovery of methane from manure and agricultural processing 
• Recovery of methane from food processing wastes 
• Methane from other carbonaceous feedstock. 

Developmental Stage 

Reduction to practice testing is complete. Researchers are now working on prototype-scale testing with field testing to follow. 

The Innovation

The biogas made from biosolids generated at wastewater treatment plants in the anaerobic digesters (ADs) contains high amounts of CO₂ and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and other gases as impurities that reduce its utility. H₂S is corrosive at very low levels. In order to make biogas usable as a transportation fuel, its methane content must be enriched to the level found in natural gas by depleting CO₂; and H₂S levels must also be reduced. Researchers have made various previous attempts to separate CO₂ in biogas production systems and thus enrich the methane content in biogas. However, among the disadvantages of this approach are that the H₂S must be removed separately. Most of these methods are not economical, because post-production processing of biogas is required.

Previously, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory had developed processes for in situ treatment of ADs to enrich the methane content in biogas to the levels found in natural gas. First, the Argonne researchers used pulverized rocks rich in CaCO₃ and MgCO₃ that sequesters the CO₂ (background patent 8,247,009). The pulverized rocks were placed in the AD in removable mesh buckets. However, such rocks must be mined, pulverized, and transported, each of which adds costs.

Argonne researchers next used a locally available agricultural by-product, biochar (charcoal), in the ADs and achieved reduction of both CO₂ and H₂S, with in situ sequestration of carbon, and methane enrichment of biogas to the pipeline-quality level of natural gas with >85% methane. Biochars from various sources perform similarly in methane enrichment in biogas. It is possible that some geographic regions may have biochar sources that may be functionally equivalent to the biochars used in Argonne studies and industrial-scale pilot testing.

The biochar used thus far by Argonne is rich in divalent and monovalent cations, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which has increased these cations in the digestate that can be used as organic solid fertilizer—leading to a significant revenue stream. Chemical analysis reveals that organic solid fertilizer is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and sulphur.

Developmental Stage

Pilot-scale process evaluation performed at a third-party site.

Availability/Commercial Readiness

Ready for development under a research partnership

The Innovation

Production of fuels from renewable energy sources can address many important national and global issues. Rising energy costs and the uncertainty in supply of crude oil have the ability to affect national security. Rising CO2 levels resulting from the world’s thirst for liquid fuels pose substantial climate and ecosystem threats.

Photosynthetic bacteria can be a renewable source of fuel molecules. The photosynthetic machinery in these highly pigmented bacteria includes cofactors (chlorophyll, carotenoids, quinones, etc.) that are anchored in the proteins by long hydrocarbon tails. These anchors can be used directly as fuel substitutes once they are separated from the bacteria that produced them. They are more compatible with modern engines than are molecules that comprise current-day biodiesel formulations (sourced from plant fatty acids). In this alternative approach to efficient production of next-generation biofuels, Argonne researchers have engineered photosynthetic bacteria and developed specific Rhodobacter strains and processes that mass produce the fuel molecules (such as phytol, shorter isoprenols, and other atypical alcohols) and export them from the cell to be separated and used directly as fuel in compression-ignited (diesel) engines. The molecules require no further chemical upgrading for use.

The Rhodobacter species of photosynthetic bacteria are facultative and are frequently known to bloom in animal waste lagoons in the summer in the Midwest. This versatility, as such, can be exploited for adaptation of their growth to whatever feedstocks are prevalent in local areas. More than 115 engineered Rhodobacter strains are under evaluation at Argonne, and a variety of screening methodologies has allowed selection of strains that are relatively omnivorous with respect to the nutrient and energy requirements used for conversion processes (e.g., the use of light). Depending upon the type of separations process used downstream for recovery, fuel molecules can be secreted into the fermentation broth or internalized as storage reserves for later harvest and extraction from bacterial cell pellets.

Argonne is pursuing industrial partnerships to scale and commercialize this technology.

The Benefits

The Rhodobacter strains developed at Argonne have the following benefits over traditional approaches:

• Flexibility: the engineered bacteria produce biofuels using a variety of growth modes (including photosynthetic) and can thrive on carbon sources available in most areas. 
• Versatility: the bacteria can grow on waste materials (carbon and water) not currently used for food or as feedstocks for other processes. 
• Simplicity: Direct production is realized by single-celled organisms exporting product into the culture medium. 
• Compatibility: the biofuels produced can be consumed ​“as is” or mixed with other fuels without the need for refining (cracking) or distillation. 
• Transportability: Rhodobacter fuel bioreactors can be set up at any (including those seemingly most remote) location(s) for production of liquid fuel or for conversion in diesel generators to produce electricity on demand. 
• Sustainability: 30–70% of waste from the new process consists of lipids, which can be modified to produce conventional biodiesel. 

Application and Industries

• Transportation sector
• Waste-to-energy facilities
• Remote operations requiring liquid fuels or electricity

Developmental Stage

Experimental-scale production of biofuel achieved; ready for scale up.

Availability/Commercial Readiness

Available for licensing and scale up or further development to focus on production of specialized fuels or chemicals.

Building infiltration – the uncontrolled leakage of air in and out of a building envelope – accounts for a significant portion of the heating and cooling energy for buildings and is estimated to account for nearly 4% of all energy use in the United States. Infiltration can be measured on residential and small commercial buildings using whole building pressurization (blower door) testing after construction is complete, but there is no affordable method for testing larger buildings while under construction or when construction is complete. While building energy codes are changing to set maximum limits of infiltration on new construction, the code changes will not require testing of new commercial construction because of the difficulty involved.

The Acoustic Building Infiltration Measurement System (ABIMS) uses acoustic methods to locate and quantify leak locations on building envelopes. It can be used for buildings of all sizes and can be used while the envelope is still under construction. The technology should allow future commercial building energy code to require infiltration testing on commercial building and allow for affordable quantification of the energy savings benefits of weatherization and infiltration sealing of commercial buildings.

The ABIMS system is being commercialized under the name Sonic Leak Quantifier or SonicLQ. SonicLQ recently won funding from the DOE Lab Corp program to help support commercialization of the technology.

• Method to compensate anode for initial irreversible capacity loss 
• Enables lithium- deficient cathode materials through lithium source 

An as-prepared cathode for a secondary battery, the cathode including an alkaline source material including an alkali metal oxide, an alkali metal sulfide, an alkali metal salt, or a combination of any two or more thereof.

The Invention 

A process that includes suspending/dissolving an electro-active material and a carbon precursor in a solvent; and then depositing the carbon precursor on the electro-active material to form a carbon-coated electro-active material. 

The method avoids the high temperature, pressure and manufacturing extremes of conventional chemical vapor deposition and other pyrolysis methods of preparation. When carbon-coated metal oxides (for electro-active materials) are prepared, the metal oxide often reduces to the metal species. Argonne’s method can produce carbon-coated metal oxides without the problems associated with reductions. The carbon precursor can be graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, their derivatives or a combination of any two or more such carbon precursors. 

Benefits 

• Carbon-coated materials can be charged and discharged faster than non-coated materials. 
• Using this method, the metal oxide will not reduce to the metal species when coated with carbon. 
• Carbon-coated cathode materials have improved electronic conductivity. 
• With its high capacity and high current rate, carbon-coated materials are ideal for use in lithium batteries for plug-in and electric vehicles. 

Applications and Industries 

Coatings for electrodes used in batteries for 

• Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; 
• Portable electronic devices; 
• Medical devices; and 
• Space, aeronautical, and defense-related devices. 

Developmental Stage 

Proof of concept 

The Invention 

Two processes are provided. In the first process, an electro-active material is heated and exposed to a reducing gas to form a surface-treatment layer on the electro-active material. The reducing gas comprises hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, an alkane, an alkyne, or an alkene. The process also includes introducing an inert gas with the reducing gas. The surface-treated, electro-active material may be used in a variety of applications such as in a rechargeable lithium battery. 

The second process includes mixing an electro-active material and a reducing agent to form a surface treatment layer on the electro-active material; and then removing the reducing agent. Removal includes vacuuming, filtering, or heating. The reducing agent is hydrazine, NaH, NaBH₄, LiH, LiAlH₄, CaH₂, oxalic acid, formic acid, diisobutylaluminium hydride, zinc amalgam, diborane, a sulfites, dithiothreitol, or Sn/HCl, Fe/HCl. The partially reduced electro-active material can be used in a variety of applications such as a rechargeable lithium battery, a primary lithium battery, or a secondary lithium battery. 

Benefits 

Increased electrical conductivity of cathode materials, which improves the rate capability of the material. By this process the battery can be charged or discharged faster without losing its electrochemical performance. 

Applications and Industries 

Coatings for electrodes used in batteries for 

• Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; 
• Portable electronic devices; 
• Medical devices; and 
• Space, aeronautical, and defense-related devices. 

Developmental Stage 

Proof of concept 

The Invention 

A process to modify the surface of the active material used in an electrochemical device. The modification agent can be a silane, organometallic compound, or a mixture of two or more of such compounds. Both negative and positive electrodes for lithium-ion batteries can be made from the surface-modified active materials. Surface modification can be accomplished by either adding the agent to a non-aqueous electrolyte used in constructing a battery, or by treating the materials in a gas phase or in a solution. 

Benefits 

• Increased safety and life of lithium-ion batteries, as the surface modification prevents a catalytic reaction in lithium-ion cells that generates hydrogen gas, which can lead to substantial power fade of the cell and potential explosions. 
• Includes methods and molecules as additives that enable electrode modification.

Applications and Industries 

Coatings for electrodes used in batteries for 

• Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; 
• Portable electronic devices; 
• Medical devices; and 
• Space, aeronautical, and defense-related devices.

Developmental Stage 

Reduced to practice