ARPA-E: Integration and Optimization of Novel Ion Conducting Solids (IONICS) Grant

This modification makes the following changes to the FOA:

• Extends the Submission Deadline for Full Applications to June 27, 2016, see Cover page and Required Documents Checklist

To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx).

This modification makes the following changes to the FOA:

• Inserted certain deadlines, including the deadlines for submitting questions and Full Applications. See Cover Page and Required Documents Checklist.
• Inserted information regarding ARPA-E’s authorizing statute, see Section I.A of the FOA.
• Revised the following sections of the FOA to provide guidance on required application forms and the content and form of Full Applications and Replies to Reviewer Comments: Required Documents Checklist and Sections IV.D, IV.E, and IV.G of the FOA. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the templates provided on ARPA‐E eXCHANGE (https://arpa‐e‐foa.energy.gov).
• Inserted criteria that ARPA‐E will use to evaluate Full Applications, see Section V.A.2 of the FOA.
• Inserted criteria that ARPA‐E will use to evaluate Replies to Reviewer Comments in Section V.A.3 of the FOA.
• Clarified Program Policy Factors, see Section V.B.1 of the FOA.
• Inserted information on the anticipated announcement and award dates, see Section V.C of the FOA.
• Inserted information concerning Full Application Notifications, see Section VI.A.3 of the FOA.
• Inserted Administrative and National Policy Requirements, see Section VI.B of the FOA.
• Inserted Reporting Requirements. See Section VI.C of the FOA.
• Inserted Determination of Exceptional Circumstances (DEC) Requirement, see Section VIII.F of the FOA.
• Inserted Compliance Audit Requirement. See Section VIII.J of the FOA.

To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx).

The Integration and Optimization of Novel Ion Conducting Solids (IONICS) program seeks to enable transformational electrochemical cells by creating components built with solid ion conductors that have a wide range of desirable properties including low ionic area-specific resistance (ASR), high chemical and electrochemical stability, high selectivity, good mechanical properties, etc. through innovative approaches to overcome tradeoffs among coupled properties. It also seeks to develop and apply methods for processing of solid ion conductors and their integration into electrochemical devices. Components built with solid ion conductors, especially separators, have the potential to serve as enabling platforms, as demonstrated by the wide application of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) ceramics and perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers (e.g., Nafion®). The IONICS Program Categories focus on specific electrochemical cells with high impact for the energy sector whose commercial potential will be significantly enhanced with improved components built from solid ion conductors. The Program Categories include:

1. Lithium (Li) ion conductors that enable the cycling of Li metal without shorting
2. Selective and low-cost separators for batteries with liquid reactants (e.g., flow batteries)
3. Alkaline conductors with high chemical stability and conductivity
4. Other approaches that could achieve the IONICS Program Objectives.

A key requirement of the IONICS program is the creation of manufacturable components with dimensions comparable to that used in a practical device, in order to ensure that technical challenges associated with large-area processing are addressed. The required area depends on the application, but is in the range of tens to one hundred square centimeters. A second key requirement is that the cost of materials and processing is sufficiently low to allow for the broad adoption necessary for significant energy impacts. Creating low-cost components built with solid ion conductors will require pushing the boundaries of processing methods, especially for inorganic materials. ARPA-E encourages the formation of teams that include the competence to address large-area fabrication and low-cost processing.

ARPA-E expects that common technical themes will be present across the Program Categories. These themes may include, but are not limited to, polymer/inorganic composites, chemistries that realize high stability, processing methods for large-area and thin inorganic solid ion conductors, polymer and polymer composite morphology engineering, self-forming mechanisms, and others. ARPA-E expects that the realization of the aggressive targets of the IONICS program will require input from communities such as solid state ionics, polymers, ceramics, material mechanics (especially at interfaces), functional glasses, organic and inorganic chemistry, computational approaches across a range of length scales, and process engineering and scale up.