As announced by the Department of Defense on September 18, the University of Texas at Dallas will receive three grants from the Department of Defense to develop and commercialize new battery technologies and manufacturing processes, improve domestic availability of critical raw materials, and provide training. He will receive $30 million annually. Recruit quality workers for jobs in the expanding battery energy storage workforce.
The award, which will create a prototype energy storage system campus, is the largest allocation from a federal agency ever received by the university. The project will leverage and stimulate his more than $200 million in private capital.
Kyungjae Cho, Ph.D., professor of materials science and engineering in the Eric Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and co-principal investigator, will lead the project as director of the Batteries and Energy Advancing Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) Center.
Key partners include LEAP Manufacturing, a consortium of energy storage companies; AUI (Associated Universities Inc.); University of California, Berkeley. and the University of Chicago. The agreement provides funding from the Department of Defense's Office of Manufacturing Capacity Expansion and Investment Prioritization.
“This initiative is an exciting opportunity to showcase UTD's mission of research, service, and education in the context of accelerating workforce development and next-generation solutions essential to our nation's economy and defense readiness.” Richard C., Utah Dr. Benson said. Dallas President and Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Leadership Chair; “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 are in a unique position.”
The BEACONS Center will focus on four main goals:
- Optimize existing battery systems, including integrating robotics and automation into manufacturing.
- Facilitate 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.
- We will develop the human resources needed to develop and manufacture energy storage systems.
In addition, the initiative will provide access to facilities to help entrepreneurs design, develop and demonstrate new energy storage systems.
“This initiative is an exciting opportunity to showcase UTD's mission of research, service, and education in the context of accelerating workforce development and next-generation solutions essential to our nation's economic and defense readiness.”
Richard C. Benson, President, University of Texas at Dallas
Addressing national priorities
The National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries 2021-2030, published in 2021 by the Federal Advanced Battery Consortium, includes several goals, including maintaining and advancing U.S. battery technology leadership by strongly supporting scientific research. Goals are outlined. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. and human resource development.
The agreement with the Department of Defense is the result of more than a year of joint efforts by UTD leaders and LEAP Manufacturing co-directors Dr. Thomas Campbell and Dr. John Stibal to respond to the federal agency's request for proposals.
BEACONS will include multiple UTD researchers from the Johnson School and School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics working on energy storage technologies, including experts in computer modeling, artificial intelligence, chemistry, prototyping, and commercialization. Their research focuses on developing next-generation battery technologies that are safer, longer-lasting, and more efficient, including alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from household appliances to electric cars, have drawbacks. It is sensitive to high temperatures and thermal runaway reactions and may cause a fire. Difficult to recycle. It also requires expensive mining and processing of rare raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
In addition to optimizing current battery systems, UTD researchers are exploring alternatives, such as all-solid-state batteries, which use solid electrolytes instead of organic liquids or polymers, and aqueous zinc-ion batteries made from organic materials or polymers. Researching next-generation batteries using materials and designs. More abundant raw materials.
new facility
The UTD-led initiative includes the construction of a research facility within a 1,200-acre area of the Richardson Innovation Quarter. The facility will include space to develop and manufacture next-generation batteries and energy storage solutions specific to defense applications. For example, defense systems may operate at extremely low or high temperatures, be exposed to significant shock and vibration, and be stored for long periods of time before requiring immediate use. Defense battery systems may also operate in environments where safety demands exceed current commercial requirements.
Although the United States has led the way in battery research and technology development, battery manufacturing and the supply of critical raw materials have traditionally been located overseas. Cho said the Department of Defense's efforts reflect efforts to bring advanced manufacturing and supply chains to the United States.
“We have identified a unique niche that meets the Department of Defense's needs for battery technology,” he said. “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.”
Human resource development
UTD team
University of Texas at Dallas faculty participating in the Department of Defense-funded battery research project include:
Dr. Kyungjae Cho, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Shuang Cui, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, Vice President for Research and Innovation, Professor of Bioengineering, and Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Michaela Stephan and Professor Eugene McDermott, Head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Laisuo Su, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Dr. Cormac Tohar, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Dr. Guoping Xiong, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Yue Zhou, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
UTD also plans to partner with community colleges in North Texas to train future employees in a variety of specialized fields. His 2020 report from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory predicts that the battery energy storage industry will need at least 130,000 additional workers in the United States by 2030. Texas will need at least 12,000 of these workers. Earlier this year, Tesla broke ground on a lithium smelter in Texas that will produce battery metal for electric cars.
“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.”
This effort is a prototype for collaboration, said Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, vice provost for research and innovation at the University of Dallas and co-principal investigator on the project.
“UTD and our partners will ensure that lab research and creative ideas from small and medium-sized businesses are quickly translated into commercialization,” Pancrazio said. “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.”
battery 101
A battery consists of a positive or cathode. Negative pole or anode. And there are electrolytes in between. In a standard lithium-ion battery, the positive electrode oxide is made of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and oxygen, and the negative electrode is made of graphite, a type of carbon. When a battery is charged, the charge-carrying lithium ions move through the electrolyte to the anode and attach themselves to the carbon. During discharge, the lithium ions return to the cathode oxide, providing electrical energy to operate the device.
Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous and power everything from household appliances to electric cars. However, they have drawbacks, such as being sensitive to high temperatures and thermal runaway reactions, which can cause fires. Difficult to recycle. It also requires expensive mining and processing of raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and elsewhere are exploring ways to make batteries safer, longer-lasting, environmentally friendly, and less dependent on expensive and rare minerals.