As the United States and the world make a monumental shift toward electrification, one critical component is ripe for innovation. It's the battery that will reshape our future. The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday announced a major investment to foster its innovation, donating her $30 million to the University of Texas at Dallas.
The Department of Defense award is a three-year, $30 million project to establish an “Energy Storage Systems Campus” aimed at accelerating the transition and expansion of next-generation batteries while reducing dependence on scarce and critical materials. will provide funding.
The UTD-led project includes the construction of a new research facility in the Richardson Innovation Quarter.
The Department of Defense award is the largest allocation from a federal agency ever received by the University of Dallas. And that impact has even more zeros attached to it. The Pentagon says the project is expected to “leverage and stimulate more than $200 million in private capital.”
The University of Texas at Dallas spearheaded the successful bid for the project and will lead a diverse consortium of universities, start-up and established companies, and four national laboratories to advance the project over the next three years. .
Once completed, the battery will be tested in Dr. Cho's UTD lab. [Photo: UT Dallas]
The BEACONS Center is led by Dr. Kyungjae Cho of UTD
UTD's Kyungjae Cho, Ph.D., Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the Eric Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and co-principal investigator, is working on the project as director of the Batteries and Energy for Advancing Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) Center. will lead the. said UTD.
Cho said the Department of Defense is focused on bringing advanced manufacturing and supply chains to the United States, including battery manufacturing and supplying critical raw materials.
“We have identified a unique niche that meets the Department of Defense's needs for battery technology,” Cho said in a statement. “This investment by the Department of Defense will foster collaboration with industry partners and help ensure reliable domestic manufacturing of lithium-ion cells and battery packs that support defense and advanced commercial systems.”
Dr. Taesoon Hwang, a materials science and engineering postdoctoral researcher, sticks his arm in the “glove box” to assemble a battery. The glove box protects researchers from exposure to hazardous materials in the battery and protects sensitive materials from water and oxygen. [Photo: UT Dallas]
Partners include the Energy Storage Consortium and the Universities of Berkeley and Chicago
Key partners in the project include LEAP Manufacturing, a consortium of energy storage companies. Associated Universities, Inc.; University of California, Berkeley. and the University of Chicago. The project will be funded by the Department of Defense's Office of Manufacturing Capacity Expansion and Investment Priorities.
University of Texas at Dallas President Richard Benson said the project “presents UTD's mission of research, service, and education in the context of next-generation solutions essential to accelerating workforce development and our nation's economic and defense preparedness.” It's a great opportunity to do that.”
“With the expertise of our undergraduate researchers, the excellence of our academic programs in engineering and science, and our proven ability to leverage partnerships with industry, UTD will lead this national effort to advance innovation in battery technology and manufacturing. We’re in a unique position,” Benson said. added in the statement.
Researchers are displaying a battery assembled inside a glovebox, a closed container used when handling hazardous or sensitive materials. [Photo: UT Dallas]
The four main goals of the project
UTD said the BEACONS Center will focus on four main goals to advance the project.
- Optimize existing battery systems, including integrating robotics and automation into manufacturing.
- Accelerating the development of new battery chemistries that reduce the use of scarce raw materials
- Identify and track supply chain challenges for critical minerals such as lithium needed for energy storage systems
- Developing human resources necessary for developing and manufacturing energy storage systems
After the raw material is ground into fine particles, it is baked at over 700 degrees Celsius and mixed with other ingredients in a solvent to form a viscous liquid similar to honey, which is then applied to a metal current collector and dried as part of the battery manufacturing process. Let me do it. cathode. [Photo:UT Dallas]
UTD builds new research facility at Richardson IQ
As part of the project, UTD will construct a new research facility within a 1,200-acre area of the Richardson Innovation Quarter. The university said the facility will include “space to develop and manufacture next-generation batteries and defense-specific energy storage solutions.”
What are some defense applications? Every day, we rely on the batteries in our cell phones. Please try to imagine. How many batteries does the entire U.S. Department of Defense have to rely on in a much more diverse and challenging environment? UTD pointed out that:Defense systems “operate at extremely low or high temperatures, are exposed to strong shock and vibration, are stored for long periods of time, and may be immediately required for immediate use. Defense battery systems are It may also operate in environments where demands exceed current commercial requirements.”
All of this leads to a critical need for next-generation batteries, which a UTD-led project is currently working on.
Dr. Kyungjae Cho and his research team are working to develop battery technology that is safer, longer-lasting, and more efficient. From left: Manifa Noor and Matthew Bergschneider, McDermott Graduate Fellow and Materials Science and Engineering doctoral student. Dr. Cho and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Hwang Tae-sun. [Photo: UT Dallas]
Partnering to develop human resources in the battery industry
UTD said it will also partner with North Texas community colleges to “train future employees with a wide range of expertise.”
The university cited a 2020 report from the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory that predicted the battery energy storage industry would need at least 130,000 additional workers in the U.S. by 2030. ing.
Texas will need at least 12,000 of those workers, UTD said.
Just one example of the state's battery industry labor needs, UTD noted that Tesla broke ground on a lithium smelter in Texas earlier this year to produce battery metal for electric vehicles.
“Renewable energy is a rapidly expanding sector, and Texas is leading the nation in expanding energy storage capacity,” Cho said. “We need not only doctoral-level experts, but also technicians who know how to safely handle batteries.”
Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, vice president for research and innovation at the University of Texas at Dallas and co-principal investigator on the project, called the effort a “prototype of collaboration.”
“UTD and our partners will ensure that laboratory research and creative ideas from small and medium-sized enterprises are quickly translated into commercialization,” Pancrazio said in a statement. . “As a national resource, the collaborative space we are building will streamline the path to innovation in energy storage and battery technology, from prototyping and testing to manufacturing. Combine technology advancement with workforce development. This will ultimately foster economic growth while strengthening national security.”
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