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 develop and implement multifunctional separators comprising porous SiO2 nanosheets that have shown to suppress Li dendrite formation by 60% because of more uniform ion-flux distribution on the high capacity Li anode surface.

Start Date

Jan 2020

Postdoc Qualifications 

Promising candidates shall have Ph.D. in mechanical engineering / chemical engineering with solid research background in lithium ion batteries, materials processing, modeling aspects, and battery characterizations.

Co-advisors 

Partha Mukherjee
mukher28@purdue.edu

Vilas G. Pol
vpol@purdue.edu

References 

D. Dysart, J. C. Burgos, A. Mistry, C.-F. Chen, Z. Liu, C. N. Hong, P. B. Balbuena, P. P. Mukherjee, V. G. Pol, “Towards Next Generation Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Non-conventional Carbon Compartments/Sulfur Electrodes and Multi-scale Analysis”, J. Electrochem. Soc. 2016, 163 (5) A730-A741. 

R. A. Adams, A. Varma, V. G. Pol, “Mechanistic Elucidation of Thermal Runaway in Potassium-Ion Batteries”, J. Power Sources, 2018, 375,131-137.