ChE Professor Vilas Pol, research team published in PNAS
Davidson School of Chemical Engineering Professor Vilas Pol is part of a team of Purdue University researchers which recently published their findings on the crystal structure of a quantum material in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers “doped” the quantum material, called samarium nickelate, with lithium ions, meaning the ions were added to the material’s crystal structure.
The team found that the lithium ions traveled back and forth into the crystal structure of the quantum material, indicating potential applications in batteries, smart windows, and brain-inspired computers containing artificial synapses.
“The addition of lithium ions caused the crystal to expand and increased the material’s conduction of the ions,” explains Dr. Pol. “Our research team also learned that the effect works with other types of ions, particularly sodium ions, pointing to potential applications in energy storage.”
Dr. Pol and his MSE graduate student, DawGen Lim, brought their research expertise to the team by meticulously assembling and testing the lithium ion battery, utilizing samarium nickelate as solid electrolyte.
Read the full Purdue News release.
