SBIR Phase I: Purification of Electrochemical Graphite for Use as a Critical Material for U.S. Power Infrastructure

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the advancement of domestic graphite anode material production, enabling a domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain. Lithium-ion batteries are the most widely used energy storage technology in our economy, critical for electric vehicles, grid energy storage, data center infrastructure for U.S. AI development, and the field power systems used throughout U.S. defense. Today, graphite is mined or synthesized from a byproduct of fossil fuel refinement. Both approaches are limited by feedstock, require high energy input, take months to produce, and require harsh purification techniques. The innovation utilizes industrial emissions as feedstock, enables production of anode material on the order of weeks, and can scale in a modular fashion with repeatable reactor design reducing deployment risk for customers and capital partners. The proposed development is to close a material property gap such that the final graphite anode material is a drop-in replacement for existing commercial grade anode materials. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address whether the final graphite anode material, synthesized electrochemically through the innovation, can be made to have a specific surface area of <3 m2/g strictly through modification of specific electrochemical parameters. Incumbent commercial lithium-ion battery grade graphite anode material has a specific surface area of 1-3 m2/g. This metric is key for the control of the solid electrolyte interface layer that is formed upon first charge of the battery. Controlled solid electrolyte interface layer growth through anode surface area prevents electrolyte degradation, enables reversible charging/discharging, and improves battery longevity by allowing lithium ions to pass while blocking electrons. The primary difference between anode material made from the proposed innovation and the incumbent anode material is the specific surface area. It is predicted that the surface area of graphite produced through the proposed innovation is predominantly controlled by cathode surface chemistry, electrolyte composition, and current density control. Through control of these variables an anticipated improvement to mass transport in the electrochemical cell will be observed, allowing for consistent crystalline carbon growth. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.