Sustainable microwave manufacturing of functional inorganic materials (SuMMa)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Chemical & Biological Engineering
Abstract
Delivery of bespoke, tailored functional materials for specific applications often requires multistep and/or custom manufacturing processes which may not always be transferable. This programme of research brings together experts from
across the UK with the goal of designing, developing and deploying sustainable microwave manufacturing processes that deliver bespoke inorganic functional materials not accessible at scale by current manufacturing methods. Microwave
processing affords unique control and heating characteristics which, when coupled with judicious reactant choice, can shorten reaction times (from days to minutes), avoid unwanted side-reactions which can lead to unwanted additional
products and improve short-range crystallinity by alleviating defect formation. These benefits represent considerable advantanges over traditional methods, where processing can lead to defects which plague performance.
Synthesis of state-of-the-art, tailored functional materials currently requires additional resource demands, be they multistep processes or more energy-intensive treatments. Solving the production of such materials represents a key challenge in delivering materials with demanding performance criteria, e.g. nanostructured cathodes for high power density applications or textured electrodes for long cycle life. The unique properties of microwaves offer a greener, faster, and more targeted manufacturing route to achieving high value functional materials.
Here, we target the scaled-up (kg/day) synthesis of nanostructured and faceted cathode particles, with the key delivery of (i) a microwave flow reactor producing high quality Li-ion battery cathode materials with primary particle morphologies and performances not accessible by traditional synthetic routes and (ii) a sustainable route to the reduction of manufacturing resource use, to just the amount required, through delivery of resource efficiency, multi-level optimization and circular economy principles. Realising this sustainable microwave manufacturing route to high value energy storage cathodes of immediate interest for next-generation electric vehicle applications has the opportunity to contribute in a significant way to a UK economic chemical industry opportunity worth a potential £2.7B per year.
across the UK with the goal of designing, developing and deploying sustainable microwave manufacturing processes that deliver bespoke inorganic functional materials not accessible at scale by current manufacturing methods. Microwave
processing affords unique control and heating characteristics which, when coupled with judicious reactant choice, can shorten reaction times (from days to minutes), avoid unwanted side-reactions which can lead to unwanted additional
products and improve short-range crystallinity by alleviating defect formation. These benefits represent considerable advantanges over traditional methods, where processing can lead to defects which plague performance.
Synthesis of state-of-the-art, tailored functional materials currently requires additional resource demands, be they multistep processes or more energy-intensive treatments. Solving the production of such materials represents a key challenge in delivering materials with demanding performance criteria, e.g. nanostructured cathodes for high power density applications or textured electrodes for long cycle life. The unique properties of microwaves offer a greener, faster, and more targeted manufacturing route to achieving high value functional materials.
Here, we target the scaled-up (kg/day) synthesis of nanostructured and faceted cathode particles, with the key delivery of (i) a microwave flow reactor producing high quality Li-ion battery cathode materials with primary particle morphologies and performances not accessible by traditional synthetic routes and (ii) a sustainable route to the reduction of manufacturing resource use, to just the amount required, through delivery of resource efficiency, multi-level optimization and circular economy principles. Realising this sustainable microwave manufacturing route to high value energy storage cathodes of immediate interest for next-generation electric vehicle applications has the opportunity to contribute in a significant way to a UK economic chemical industry opportunity worth a potential £2.7B per year.
Organisations
- University of Sheffield (Lead Research Organisation)
- Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) (Collaboration)
- Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) (Collaboration)
- Advanced Microwave Technologies (Collaboration)
- University of Warwick (Collaboration)
- Microwave Technologies Cousulting (Project Partner)
- Britishvolt (Project Partner)
- Advanced Microwave Technologies (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- University of Warwick (Project Partner)
- Centre for Process Innovation (Project Partner)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (Project Partner)
- Johnson Matthey (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
Publications
Entwistle T
(2022)
Co-precipitation synthesis of nickel-rich cathodes for Li-ion batteries
in Energy Reports
Description | FutureCat & SuMMa Academic Partner - Warwick University (WMG) |
Organisation | University of Warwick |
Department | Warwick Manufacturing Group |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Research knowledge exchange on FutureCat and SuMMa |
Collaborator Contribution | Research knowledge - Prof Louis Piper joined FutureCat as a Co-I. SuMMa project - providing equipment for experiments, scale up facilities and staff time (advice & support) |
Impact | Not yet for SuMMa |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | FutureCat & SuMMa External Partner - Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Department | ISIS Neutron and Muon Source |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Research knowledge exchange |
Collaborator Contribution | Research On SuMMa - in-kind time for Lab, ISIS instrument suite, and staff time, plus contribution towards consumables for experiments |
Impact | No outputs as yet |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | FutureCat & SuMMa External Partner - Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Research knowledge exchange |
Collaborator Contribution | Research On SuMMa - in-kind time for Lab, ISIS instrument suite, and staff time, plus contribution towards consumables for experiments |
Impact | No outputs as yet |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | SuMMa External Partner - CPI - Centre for Process Innovation |
Organisation | Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Research knowledge exchange, working on the SuMMa project and Innovate UK Feasibility Study with NiTech. |
Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge on scale up/testing. working on the Innovate UK Feasibility Study with NiTech. Working on SuMMa project, providing staff time mentoring & promotion. |
Impact | No outcomes yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | SuMMa External Partner - CPI - Centre for Process Innovation |
Organisation | Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Research knowledge exchange, working on the SuMMa project and Innovate UK Feasibility Study with NiTech. |
Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge on scale up/testing. working on the Innovate UK Feasibility Study with NiTech. Working on SuMMa project, providing staff time mentoring & promotion. |
Impact | No outcomes yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | SuMMa Industry Partner - Advanced Microwave Technologies Ltd |
Organisation | Advanced Microwave Technologies |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Research - Knowledge exchange |
Collaborator Contribution | Research - Knowledge exchange Providing equipment for large scale trials |
Impact | None as yet |
Start Year | 2022 |