Seminar Details

Sustainable Battery Chemistries for a Cleaner Planet

Speaker: Arumugam Manthiram

Date, time and location: Friday, September 23rd 2022, 1:00 PM, MDS 244

Abstract: The widespread adoption battery technologies for electric vehicles and gridelectricity storage requires optimization of cost, energy density, power density, cycle life,safety, and environmental impact, all of which are directly linked to severe materialschallenges. Cost and sustainability will be the single dominant factor as we march forward.This presentation will focus on the development of sustainable next-generation battery chemistries and materials. Strategies and approaches for elimination of expensive and scarcely available cobalt, followed by eliminating nickel and ultimately any mined metal, including lithium, will be discussed. As an example, the progress on cobalt-free high-nickel cathodes, lithium-sulfur cells, and sodium-sulfur cells will be presented. The challenges of bulk and surface instability and chemical crossover during charge-discharge cycling, dynamics and stabilization of lithium or sodium plating and striping, advanced characterization methodologies to develop an in-depth understanding, and approaches to overcome the challenges will be presented.

Interface Engineered Solid Fuel Cell Materials

Speaker: Dr. Jason Nicholas

Date, time and location: Monday April 25th, 2022, 1:00 PM, CRL308

Abstract: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are multi-layer, multi-component devices with some of the highest energy densities and highest demonstrated efficiencies of any chemical to electrical energy technology. In addition, they can be operated in reverse, as Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs), to store energy and/or produce chemicals. Unfortunately, despite being invented in the early 20th century, SOFCs remain a niche technology. In response, the SOFC community has sought to incorporate many different materials (often with engineered point defect concentrations), across multiple different length scales, to improve SOFC performance, durability, and cost. However, controlling the interfacial interactions between these various materials, and the point defects within them, has remained challenging. Hence, this talk will highlight some of our group’s recent success in demonstrating 1) how Atomic Layer Deposited (ALD) thin films or pre-infiltrated secondary-phase particles improve SOFC cathode performance and durability through SOFC interface modification, 2) how secondary phases can inadvertently boost the oxygen surface exchange coefficient (k) of SOFC cathode materials, 3) how new, in situ, contact-free techniques can be used to measure k without the use of potentially-performance-altering current collectors, and 4) how porous and/or patterned nickel interlayers can be used to direct the wetting and spreading of molten silver on ceramic substrates for novel joining and/or current collector applications.

Strategies to enhance of solid oxide cell

Speaker: Dr. Meng Zhou

Date, time and location: Monday March 7th, 2022, 1:00 PM, CRL308

Abstract: Hydrogen is a clean and sustainable fuel; water splitting is a green method for Hydrogen production. However, room temperature water splitting suffers from expensive catalysts, low kinetics, and high energy consumption (high overpotential). High temperature steam electrolysis through solid oxide cell (SOC) could solve these problems, but interface delamination, material degradation, and resistant phase formation limit its application. In this talk, I will discuss the strategies developed in our group to enhance the performance: 1. surface treatments; 2. 3-dimensional (3D) electrode development; and 3. New materials for electrolyte and electrode.

LiNi_xCo_yMn_zO₂ for Lithium Ion Battery and Oxygen Electrocatalyst

Speaker: Dr. Hongmei Luo

Date, time and location: Monday March 7th, 2022, 1:30 PM, CRL308

Abstract: The global energy crisis coupling with the consumption of fossil fuels and the associated environmental issues, has stimulated extensive interest in searching for clean, efficient and sustainable energy storage and conversion systems. Oxygen electrocatalysis, including both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), dominates the performance of the energy conversion devices. Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2 (NCM) has been the most used cathode for lithium ion batteries due to its considerable capacity and energy density. In this talk, we are going to introduce a novel chemical solution approach for epitaxial thin film deposition and oxide nanoparticle network synthesis, then we use NCM as an example, to apply this method to obtain nanoparticles with controlled composition, crystal structure, and cation mixing of Li/Ni for lithium ion battery cathode and OER electrocatalyst applications.

Halogens as Cathode Reactions for Secondary Lithium Cells

Speaker: Prof. John Flake

Date, time and location: Monday Jan 31, 2022 at 1:00 pm, Madison Hall Room 244

Abstract: Prof. Flake is interested in harnessing the benefits of halogens as cathode reactions in secondary batteries.While there has been significant progress in “next generation” Li-O2 and Li-S batteries, there arefundamental barriers that may limit their practical viability. Alternatively, halogen cathode reactions offer cell potentials over 5V and capacities that are at least an order of magnitude greater than Li-ion batteries. Halogens have long been used in primary batteries such as Li-I2 cells commonly used in pacemakers; however, their strong reactivity makes them less than ideal candidates for reversible cathode reactions. In this talk, Prof. Flake examines opportunities to safely (and reversibly) store halogens in MOF electrodes.

Advanced Catalyst Technologies for Clean Hydrogen Technologies

Speaker: Prof. Gang Wu

Date, time and location: Friday Jan 14, 2022 at 10:00am, H. L. Griffin Hall Room 147

Abstract: Clean and efficient energy storage and conversion via sustainable water reactions have attracted substantial attention to address the energy and environmental issues due to the overwhelming use of fossil fuels. These electrochemical reactions are crucial for desirable clean energy technologies, including advanced water electrolyzers and hydrogen fuel cells. Their sluggish reaction kinetics lead to inefficient energy conversion. Innovative electrocatalysis, i.e., catalysis at the interface between the electrode and electrolyte to facilitate charge transfer and mass transport, plays a vital role in boosting energy conversion efficiency and providing sufficient performance and durability for these energy technologies. In this talk, I highligh recent progress and achievements of developing low-cost and high-performance catalysts at the University at Buffalo-SUNY for these critical electrocatalysis processes, including the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for hydrogen proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers.