VILAS POL
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Purdue University
Conventional lithium-ion batteries fail below −40°C, limiting use in polar, high-altitude, and aerospace environments. This seminar presents materials and electrolyte discoveries from Purdue University’s Vilas Pol Energy Research (ViPER) group that enable reversible energy storage at deep-cryogenic temperatures. Freeze-resistant ether electrolytes combined with pseudocapacitive niobium tungsten oxide electrodes accelerate ion transport, improve wetting, and enhance interfacial charge transfer. The talk highlights pouch-cell operation to −100°C, progress toward −120°C, and the thermodynamic principles of the heater-free, solar-integrated CryoCharge-100 platform.
ABOUT VILAS
Vilas G. Pol is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Deputy Director of the Battery and Energy Storage Pillar at Purdue Institute for Energy Innovation. A leading energy-storage expert, he has authored 308+ publications, holds 28 U.S. patents, and delivered 210+ invited talks, including TEDx. His pioneering research has earned three AIChE awards, two Guinness World Records, two R&D 100 Awards, and numerous honors from leading professional societies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fulbright Specialist.