Offering Description

  • Direct technology search
  • Limited analysis using smaller team
  • Substantiation is not included
  • Suggested for initial project as trust-building step or for customers with limited budget

Background

Energy Storage Device:

  • Li-ion batteries have pretty high capacity, but they cannot discharge large energy (and also they need a lot of time to be charged)
  • On the contrary, supercapacitors can discharge a lot of energy and have relatively short charging time, but they have insufficient capacity
  • Therefore, it is necessary to find perspective technology capable to provide both high capacity and high discharge energy

Main Tool of Technology Scouting: Function-Oriented Search

Function-Oriented Search is a TRIZ tool that helps to identify existing technologies in leading areas of science and engineering, using functional criteria.

Application of Function-Oriented Search

  • A Li-ion battery stores a lot of energy due to reversible chemical reaction
  • A supercapacitor can discharge a lot of energy due to absence of a mass transfer
  • Thus it is necessary to find a technology that can effectively and reversibly convert chemical energy to electrical energy without a mass transfer
  • Leading Area:
    • Chemically active polymers
  • Found Technology:
    • Poly[M(Schiff)] redox polymers
    • This polymers can reversibly change redox potential => they can store electric energy in chemical form, but reversible chemical reaction does not need a mass transfer

Description of Found Technology: AESD

  • Broad potential range of electrochemical activity (> 3 V)
  • High specific energy stored in the polymer (> 300 J/g)
  • Unique thermal stability (up to 350°C)
  • High chemical and electrochemical reversibility of redox processes
  • Easy synthesis and low cost
  • Work in the same electrolytes and at the same potentials as Ultracapacitors and Lithium-ion batteries

Due to their unique properties, polymer Schiff base transition metal complexes (Poly[M(Schiff)]) are promising materials for energy storage applications

Polymer properties can be easily tuned by proper selection of monomer and electrolyte composition and polymerization conditions (voltage, duration, etc.)

Results and Conclusions

  • Results:
    • Using GEN TRIZ methodology of TRIZ-based Technology Scouting there was found the technology of energy storage having high potential for various applications
    • Number of investors found this technology promising enough to organize the startup EnGen that works on commercialization of this technology
  • Conclusions
    • GEN TRIZ methodology of Technology Scouting is highly effective and practically tested
    • Using this methodology GEN TRIZ can help Clients to identify and select necessary technologies that meet all pre-defined requirements and restrictions