THERmal MOdulators based on novel 2D mxEne materials for nearly isothermAL battery operation

Introduction

Batteries represent the present and future of our electrified society. One of the challenges within this field is ineffective battery thermal management (BTM), leading to device failure, limited performance, and lifetime reduction.

Challenges in Battery Thermal Management

BTM requires:

1. Effective dissipation of heat in warm environments to avoid thermal runaways.
2. Retention of heat in cold environments to avoid energy drops.

This relates to the inevitable compromise of cooling (dissipate heat) and insulating (retain internal heat) in batteries depending on the needs. Current BTM solutions are too bulky and provide mostly cooling capabilities, hampering batteries from performing optimally.

Proposed Solution

Solid-state thermal modulators represent the ultimate solution for regulating battery temperature. However, their performances and sizes are far from sufficient to deploy them for BTM.

Project Goals

THERMO2DEAL aims to develop a novel interfacial thermal modulator that enables dynamic heat management in batteries to achieve nearly isothermal performance. We will develop specific types of large area 2D transitional metal carbides materials, i.e., MXenes, that will be tuned electrochemically to modulate their thermal properties.

Design and Integration

These MXenes will be the essence of a new thermal modulator design for facile integration in batteries. The key features include:

• Scalability
• Quick and repeated toggling on and off
• Large hot to cold switching contrast

These features make it a pioneer in the field.

Scientific Challenges

I will address scientific challenges in:

1. The synthesis of scalable and unique MXenes.
2. Demonstration of thermal tuning on them.
3. Their integration in pouch cells, e.g., basic battery stack units in cars or household appliances, for temperature modulation.

Experiments and theory using a nano- to macro-scale approach will be used to overcome these challenges.

Long-term Impact

This proposal will be a key stepping stone in developing advanced BTM for improved battery performance and lifetime. In the long term, this project will be at the frontier of new thermal technology for energy recovery or storage.