Mechanistics of Lithium Metal Electrodes for High-Performance Rechargeable Batteries

Interdisciplinary Areas: Engineering and Healthcare/Medicine/Biology, Future Manufacturing

Project Description

Current lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) suffer from moderate energy density, limited cycle life, and safety issues. Lithium (Li) metal has received huge attention as a promising anode candidate due to its high theoretical capacity, the lowest negative potential, and its potential as next-generation energy storage devices (such as Li-S and Li-O2 batteries), where Li metal electrode is essential for the system. However, systemic issues, which are mainly associated with Li dendritic growth and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, result in poor electrochemical performances and safety problems (e.g. short-circuit). We plan to study lithium dendrite suppression mechanisms via interfacial ion-flux control for high-capacity Li metal anodes. This will include fundamental understanding of the morphology-transport-interface interactions via a combined approach including high-resolution computational modeling, electrochemical experiments and materials chemistry. 

Start Date

June 1, 2019

Postdoc Qualifications

Promising candidates shall have a Ph.D. in mechanical/ chemical engineering, chemistry or materials science, with a solid research background in electrochemical science and engineering (computational modeling, characterization, materials processing). 
 

Co-advisors

Vilas G. Pol

Partha Mukherjee 

References

1. Y. Sun, D. Lim, M. Kotiuga, N. Badri, H. Zhou, C. Mathew, Z. Zhang, R. Kou, C. Sun, K. Ramadoss, Q. Lu , G. Vardar, W. Bowman, I. Waluyo, H. Tanaka, A. N. Hattori, V. G. Pol, S. Subramanian, B. Yildiz, K.M. Rabe, S. Ramanathan, “Strongly Correlated Perovskite Lithium-ion Shuttles”, PNAS, 2018, 201805029

2. P. J. Kim, K. Kim, V. G. Pol, Uniform Metal-Ion Flux through Interface-modified Membrane for Highly Stable Metal Batteries, Electrochimica Acta, 2018, 283, 517-527.

3. K. Kim, P. J. H. Kim, J. P. Youngblood, V. G. Pol, “Surface Functionalization of Carbon Architecture with Nano-MnO2 for Effective Polysulfide Confinement in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, ChemSusChem, 2018, 11,1–8.

4. P.J. Kim, H. D. Fontecha, K. Kim, V. G. Pol, “Towards High Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries: Upcycling of LDPE Plastic into Sulfonated Carbon Scaffold via Microwave-promoted Sulfonation”, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2018, 10, 14827−14834.

5. P. J. Kim, K. Kim, V. G. Pol, “Towards highly stable lithium sulfur batteries: Surface functionalization of carbon nanotube scaffold”, Carbon, 2018, 131, 175-183