Next-Generation Batteries for Electric Vehicles and Grid Energy Storage

The global clean energy industry, which is expected to grow at an exponential rate, relies heavily on lithium-ion batteries. As electric vehicles and grid energy storage continue to gain market share, the United States is expected to increasingly rely on imported raw materials (nickel and cobalt) for lithium-ion batteries due to the lack of domestic production and manufacturing, exposing the nation to supply chain vulnerabilities. And while today’s electric vehicle owners rely on charging their cars at home overnight, the 37% of Americans living in homes without garages will need fast-charging cars on the go, which lithium-ion batteries cannot provide. As a result, innovative battery chemistry that goes beyond lithium-ion is needed, as well as the discovery and design of new materials that can be domestically produced and used to make safe, sustainable, fast-charging batteries at gigawatt scale. In this seminar, I will begin with solid-state lithium metal batteries and present an operando diagnostic platform that elucidates the role of an interlayer between lithium metal anode and solid electrolyte in suppressing lithium dendrite at high charging rates and enabling reversible lithium plating and stripping for over 1000 cycles. Then I’ll discuss our work on fast-charging magnesium batteries. Magnesium is more abundant than lithium, is domestically available, and does not form dendrites. We created the world’s first magnesium battery with quick charging capabilities (80% charged within 5 minutes). Our new ARPA-E funding will be used to demonstrate performance on a larger scale. Finally, I’ll present an overview of organic battery electrode materials made from abundant elements. I'll show how organic materials work well with aqueous and solid electrolytes, and talk about the goal of the Conductive Redox Organic Materials for Energy Center.