How Argonne's MERF Can Help Advance Your New Materials

Rechargeable batteries are among the critical technologies in the decarbonization effort of increasingly expanded transportation and power grids. The demand for safer, longer-lasting, durable energy storage continues to fuel the need for battery innovation. This need, in turn, requires designing new materials, understanding how they function, and developing scalable processes to manufacture them. Electric vehicles (EVs) powered by lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) represent the most advanced and readily available energy storage technology to help the decarbonization of the world. There is an increased interest in deploying sustainable EVs powered by the new generation of rechargeable batteries, making energy storage scientists explore new, safer, cheaper, and earth-abundant materials to lower costs and dependence on foreign sources. The challenges ahead of battery researchers are complex, and it may take decades to convert the discoveries into full commercial adoption. These materials or better-performing new materials can quickly become a new quest for scientists. The current proven technologies to produce these materials most often may not work when the chemical composition and particle morphology requirement changes.<br/>The Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) is a part of the Applied Materials Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Established in 2009, remodeled, and expanded in 2020, the MERF is a 28,000-square-foot research facility equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation. It employs 40 researchers, engineers, and support technicians, with all key staff having an extensive industrial background. The facility is a home for Process R&D and Scale-up Group. It is a vital component of Argonne's Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center (MMIC), a significant, multi-year investment of discretionary laboratory resources to extend the Laboratory leadership in accelerating scalable materials synthesis and process development.<br/>The presentation will familiarize the audience with MERF capability, including traditional process R&D technologies as well as a suite of emerging manufacturing technologies like Tailor Vortex Reactors, Hydro/Solvothermal Synthesis, Flame/Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis, and Continuous Flow Reactors. We will use systematic, data-driven approaches to develop efficient manufacturing processes and scale up the new materials to make sufficient amounts to support further research, prototyping, and industrial validation.<br/>The team of researchers and engineers behind MERF aims to streamline the conversion of your discovery into commercial products.