Energy storage is increasingly critical to building a resilient electric grid in the United States—a trend embodied by the Grid Storage Launchpad, a newly inaugurated, 93,000-square-foot facility at PNNL.
In 2006, battery research was practically non-existent at PNNL. Today, the lab is lauded for its battery research. How did PNNL go from a new player to a leader in state-of-the-art storage for EVs and the grid?
A seemingly simple shift in lithium-ion battery manufacturing could pay big dividends, improving electric vehicles’ ability to store more energy per charge and to withstand more charging cycles.
A PNNL-developed computational framework accurately predicts the thermomechanical history and microstructure evolution of materials designed using solid phase processing, allowing scientists to custom design metals with desired properties.
Developed at PNNL, Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion, or ShAPE™, uses significantly less energy and can deliver components like wire, tubes and bars 10 times faster than conventional extrusion, with no sacrifice in quality.
An energy-efficient method to extrude metal components wins Association of Washington Business Green Manufacturing Award. PNNL’s Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion™ technology consumes less energy and enhances material properties.
Rotational Hammer Riveting, developed by PNNL, joins dissimilar materials quickly without preheating rivets. The friction-based riveting enables use of lightweight magnesium rivets and also works on aluminum and speeds manufacturing.
Through two U.S. Department of Energy funding calls awarded in 2020, PNNL is partnering with industry and academia to advance battery materials and processes.
Researchers at PNNL have increased the conductivity of copper wire by about five percent via a process called Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion. General Motors tested the wire for application in vehicle motor components.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a software tool that helps universities, small business, and corporate developers to design better batteries with new materials that hold more energy.
PNNL and WSU researchers have improved the performance and life cycle of sodium-ion battery technology to narrow the gap with some lithium-ion batteries.
PNNL researchers have created a chemical cocktail that could help electric cars power their way through extreme temperatures where current lithium-ion batteries don’t operate as efficiently as needed.
PNNL researchers demonstrate how the excitation of oxygen atoms that contributes to better performance of a lithium-ion battery also triggers a process that leads to damage, explaining a phenomenon that has been a mystery to scientists.
