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Professor Pol's extensive research background includes colloid and interfacial science, electrochemical-, materials-, chemical-, sustainable-, and environmental engineering. His current passion lies in electrochemical energy storage technologies, primarily the scalable design and optimization of electrode materials, separator designs and electrolyte discovery for lithium-ion, potassium ion, sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur and solid-state batteries with thermal safety aspects.

The Vilas Pol Energy Research (ViPER) is an experimental group dedicated to fulfill the knowledge gap required to advance the energy storage technologies. Utilizing advanced sonochemistry, solvent-free autogenic chemical reactions, hydrothermal synthesis and microwave irradiation techniques, a diverse range of innovative, multi-functional electrode materials are fabricated and tested for next-generation safer battery systems. Moreover, we perform a wide variety of characterization including structure, morphology, and composition on developed electrode materials to understand the fundamental chemistry with underlying formation mechanism. We closely work with academic modeling groups, national laboratories, industries, and university collaborators across the globe.

Our current efforts include:

(1) Understanding the origin of thermal runaway mechanism in Lithium-ion, Sodium-ion, Potassium-ion and all solid state batteries and developing scientific strategies to mitigate them.

(2) Synthesis and mechanistic elucidation of novel carbon architectures (nano, sub-micro and microspheres; macro, meso, and micro-structured carbons, nanotubes, graphene, and their metal and metal-oxide hybrids) for energy storage applications.

(3) Discovery and design of high-capacity anode, cathode and electrolytes materials with longer lasting, sustainable and safer battery chemistries. Exploration of innovative electrochemical cell geometries with enhanced mechanical, flexible, and lightweight properties.

(4) Development of the physio-electrochemical transport understanding in multi-scale porous microstructures and the relevant electrode degradation mechanisms over long cycle periods (in collaboration with prominent modeling groups).

(5) Minimize the interfacial impedance in all solid state batteries to enhance room temperature electrochemical performance via development of hybrid polymer/garnet based electrolytes and interfaces with electrodes.

(6) Applications of novel multi-functional hybrid materials developed at ViPER in the fields of super-capacitors, CO2 capture, bio-sensing, solar cells, lubrication additives, fuel cell catalysts, superconductors, optical, magnetic, and flexible polymer-based devices.

Google Scholar Profile

“Non-polar Ether-based Electrolyte Solutions for Stable High-Voltage Non-aqueous Lithium Metal Batteries”, Z. Li, H. Rao, R. Atwi, B. M. Sivakumar, B. Gwalani, S. Gray, K. S. Han, T. A. Ajantiwalay, V. Murugesan, N. N. Rajput, V. G. Pol, Nature Communications, 14, 868 (2023).

“Critical-Point-Dried, Porous, and Safer Aramid Nanofiber Separator for High-Performance Durable Lithium-Ion Batteries” M. H. Parekh, S. Oka, J. Lutkenhaus, V. G. Pol, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 14 (25), 29176-29187 (2022).

“Impedimetric Chemosensing of Volatile Organic Compounds Released from Li-ion Batteries”, P. Kaur, S. Bagchi, D. Gribble, V. G. Pol, A. P. Bhondekar, ACS Sensors, 7, 674-683 (2022).

“In Situ Replenishment of Formation Cycle Lithium-Ion Loss for Enhancing Battery Life”, M. Palanisamy, M. H. Parekh, V. G. Pol, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2003668 (2020).

“Room-Temperature, High-Voltage Solid-State Lithium Battery with Composite Solid Polymer Electrolyte with In-situ Thermal Safety Study", S. Zhang, Z. Li, Y. Guo, L. Cai, P. Manikandan, K. Zhao, Y. Li, V. G. Pol, Chemical Engineering Journal, 125996 (2020).

"In Situ Mechanistic Elucidation of Superior Si-C-Graphite Li-ion Battery Anode Formation with Thermal Safety Aspects", M. H. Parekh, A. D. Sediako, A. Naseri, M. J. Thomson, V. G. Pol, Advanced Energy Materials, 1902799 (2019).

"Materials by Design: Tailored Morphology and Structures of Carbon Anodes for Enhanced Battery Safety", R. A. Adams, A. Mistry, P. Mukherjee, V. G. Pol, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 11, 14, 13334-13342 (2019).

"Strongly Correlated Perovskite Lithium-ion Shuttles", Y. Sun, M. Kotiuga, D. Lim, N. Badri, H. Zhou, C. Mathew, Z. Zhang, Y. Dong, R. Kou, C.J. Sun, Q. Lu , I. Waluyo, A.Hunt, H. Tanaka, A.N. Hattori, S. Gamage, Y. Abate, V. G. Pol, H. Zhou, S. Subramanian, B. Yildiz, K.M. Rabe, S. Ramanathan, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(39), 9672-9677 (2018).

"High Performance Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by Surface Tailoring of Polypropylene Separator with a Polydopamine/Graphene Layer", P.J. Kim, V.G. Pol, Advanced Energy Materials, 1802665 (2018).

"Spherical Carbon Particles and Carbon Nanotubes Prepared by Autogenic Reactions: Evaluation as Anodes in Lithium Electrochemical Cells," V. G. Pol, M. M. Thackeray, Energy and Environmental Science, 4, 1904-1912 (2011).

"Dry Autoclaving for the Nanofabrication of Sulfides, Selenides, Borides, Phosphides, Nitrides, Carbides, and Oxides," V. G. Pol, S. V. Pol, A. Gedanken, Advanced Materials, 23, 1179-1190 (2011).