Our Mission

Funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office, the Battery Research Group performs world-leading research to develop innovative and fundamentally inspired solutions to overcome the limitations of high energy density batteries.

Our DNA

We combine fundamental understanding of physics with the latest in technological developments in computation and diagnostics to address real world problems. We do this through a broad spectrum of researchers covering all fields of battery research from molecular simulations, advanced diagnostics, and data analytics all the way to battery prototyping and testing. 

What We Do

At LBNL, we develop innovative ways to increase the energy density, charge rate, cycle-life and calendar-life, and safety of and decrease the cost of today's Li-ion chemistry presently used in the majority of electric vehicles.  We do this through a combination of modeling, diagnostics, and a fundamental understanding electrochemsitry and transport.  With multiple research partners and funding primarily from the Vehicle Technologies Office of the Department of Energy (DOE), we work in the following areas of research: 

Research Areas: 

• Sodium-ion Batteries
• Solid State Batteries
• Cobalt-free, Li-rich, Disordered Rocksalt Cathodes
• Silicon electrodes
• Low temperature electrolytes 
• Fast charging and the early detection of lithium deposits

Single-PI Individual Research Projects:

• Sodium-based active materials
• The science of electrode manufacturing
• Earth abundant cathode materials
• Low-cost batteries for long duration storage

Our researchers have a strong background in electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering, with specialties in density functional theory and computational materials design, materials synthesis, surface and bulk materials characterization, titration and gas detection, colloidal science, electrode fabrication, and cell testing and failure analysis.