Company
Portfolio Data
Back to Company SearchWH-POWER INC
Address
ROOM 3122, TECHNOLOGY VENTURES BUILDING, 5000 COLLEGE AVENUECOLLEGE PARK, MD, 20742-5031
USA
UEI: JKRBJT82ELB6
Number of Employees: 2
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
SBIR/STTR Involvement
Year of first award: 2023
2
Phase I Awards
1
Phase II Awards
50%
Conversion Rate
$469,594
Phase I Dollars
$230,406
Phase II Dollars
$700,000
Total Awarded
Awards
Li-Ion Batteries Using Low-Cost Alloy Anodes
Amount: $200,000 Topic: C58-22a
The PIs have recently invented a series of electrolytes that enable anodes based on micron-sized silicon (µSi) with high-voltage cathodes such as NMC and NCA. These have been used to form full cells and achieved high coulombic efficiency (CE) of > 99.9% and long cycle life of > 300. The novel electrolytes have demonstrated the following characteristics: (1) enabling 5-10µm Si anode to achieve a capacity exceeding 2800 mAh/g at an areal capacity of 6 mAh/cm2; (2) having an electrochemical stability window exceeding 4.5 V, enabling the use of NMC/NCA cathodes to achieve CE of > 99.9%; (3) having ionic conductivity of > 5 mS/cm; (4) a projected calendar life up to 10 years (based on extrapolation). The silicon anode is composed of > 60% µSi, along with graphite, carbon black, and binder. Additionally, µSi has a cost of approximately $5/kg, which is lower than the cost of batterygrade synthetic graphite (approximately $15/kg). If commercialized, µSi technology is expected to provide anodes at a lower cost and with higher capacity than synthetic graphite anodes. The combination our novel electrolyte and µSi can overcome the inherent flaws of nano-silicon anodes, including: (1) high cost, (2) irreversible swelling, (3) continuous gas generation, electrolyte consumption, and pressure buildup during usage, and (4) short calendar life. In this work, we propose to design novel electrolytes that enable the production of µSi/NMC pouch cells with a capacity exceeding 2 Ah to achieve a specific energy of over 400 Wh/kg at the cell level. The electrolyte is non-flammable, providing an major safety advantage over current commercial Li-ion batteries. In phase I, WH-Power, Inc. and University of Maryland team will (1) optimize alloyed anode slurry and coating with over 60 wt% µSi loading, (2) assemble and test pouch cells with a capacity exceeding 2 Ah using commercial NMC532 cathodes for their cycle life, calendar life and operation temperature range, (3) use waste solar cell as silicon raw material to produce batteries. The development of the anode coating, pouch cell battery assembly, and pouch cell testing will be conducted by WH-Power. The electrolyte development will be subcontracted to Dr. Chunsheng Wang at the University of Maryland.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2024
DOE
Low Cost All Temperature Zinc-pulp Battery for Stationary Storage
Amount: $269,594 Topic: C
WH-Power (WattHour-Power, or WHP) and University of Maryland (Profs. Chunsheng Wang and Laingbing Hu) propose to produce a high entropy electrolyte (HEE) and pulp based low-cost zinc battery with –80 ˚C to 80 ˚C operation temperature range for stationary storage (grid and residential energy storage). The zinc-pulp battery is inherently safe, the cost to produce and use the battery is low, and production of the battery based on low-cost sustainable material produced and readily available in the United States. The technology can enhance energy security of the United States by reducing its reliance on foreign material, enhance grid resilience, and reduce carbon dioxide emission. The battery uses an aqueous two-salt NaCl and ZnCl2 liquid HEE (Nature Sustainability, 2023, available online) and a pulp based high ion conductivity high strength functional separator (Matter, 2022, 5 (10), 3402-3416). The HEE provide the battery with wide operation temperature range and cathode stability. The HEE electrolytes also enable uniform dendrite-free Zn plating stripping with a high Coulombic efficiency larger than 99.9%. The pulp functional separator can provide uniform anode deposition and suppress dendrite formation. Both pulp and HEE can suppress hydrogen generation by eliminating free water and zinc bound water in the electrolyte. A thick cathode enabled by embedding pulp-based ion conductor can increase the energy density by increasing the active to inactive material ratio.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2023
DOE
ARPA-E
Low Cost All Temperature Zinc-pulp Battery for Stationary Storage
Amount: $230,406 Topic: C
WH-Power (WattHour-Power, or WHP) and University of Maryland (Profs. Chunsheng Wang and Laingbing Hu) propose to produce a high entropy electrolyte (HEE) and pulp based low-cost zinc battery with –80 ˚C to 80 ˚C operation temperature range for stationary storage (grid and residential energy storage). The zinc-pulp battery is inherently safe, the cost to produce and use the battery is low, and production of the battery based on low-cost sustainable material produced and readily available in the United States. The technology can enhance energy security of the United States by reducing its reliance on foreign material, enhance grid resilience, and reduce carbon dioxide emission. The battery uses an aqueous two-salt NaCl and ZnCl2 liquid HEE (Nature Sustainability, 2023, available online) and a pulp based high ion conductivity high strength functional separator (Matter, 2022, 5 (10), 3402-3416). The HEE provide the battery with wide operation temperature range and cathode stability. The HEE electrolytes also enable uniform dendrite-free Zn plating stripping with a high Coulombic efficiency larger than 99.9%. The pulp functional separator can provide uniform anode deposition and suppress dendrite formation. Both pulp and HEE can suppress hydrogen generation by eliminating free water and zinc bound water in the electrolyte. A thick cathode enabled by embedding pulp-based ion conductor can increase the energy density by increasing the active to inactive material ratio.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2023
DOE
ARPA-E