Booth Id:
EGSD014T
Category:
Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design
Year:
2024
Finalist Names:
Weldegabriel, Ezra (School: Mayo High School)
Hill, Erik (School: Century High School)
Kocer, Ardashir (School: Century High School)
Abstract:
Traditional Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) feature suboptimal graphite anodes with low cost efficiencies and
poor energy densities compared to modern high-capacity anodes (HCAs). However, despite their
theoretical superiority, HCAs have yet to be implemented due to their volumetric expansions and
contractions of up to 500% when lithiated and delithiated. Therefore, we made aluminium HCAs porous on a
microscopic scale such that these novel anodes will expand into themselves, thus circumventing their
traditional consequences. We synthesized a silica based aluminum xerogel sintered at 600°C to
minimize electrical resistivity, and slowly saturated it with a battery electrolyte solution. We then tested
the xerogel's performance as an HCA by placing it in a LIB alongside a commercial cathode and
repeatedly charging, discharging, and cycling the battery. The HCA created by our method has a greater
theoretical energy density when compared to commercial batteries; further, it is possible to drastically
reduce the environmental impact of LIBs by using this method in conjunction with a conservationist model
of LIBs, wherein HCAs can be made replaceable which may lead to an immense amount of lithium
conserved which could lead to a reduction in harmful mining practices and a significant improvement in
cost efficiency. The increased energy density enables a reduction in dependency on fossil fuels by
making less reliable sources like wind more viable