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 sound solutions to overcome the limitations of high energy density batteries.

Our Values

• Research performed in an atmosphere of respect, inclusion, and the highest degree of integrity.
• Research grounded in fundamentals, focused on solving long-term, real world problems.
   

What We Do

The major sources of carbon-free technologies that generate electricity (other than nuclear) rely on intermittent sources of raw energy such as sunlight or wind.  Since our society has come to rely on electricity at a moment’s notice, it is critical that we find ways to store electrical sources of power that are flexible with regard to charge and discharge, and immediately accessible.

The Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Division’s (ESDR’s) Battery Research Group focuses primarily on advancing high specific-energy technologies required for transportation, such as lithium ion- (Li-ion-) and Li-metal-based batteries.  With multiple research partners and funding primarily from the Vehicle Technologies Office of the Department of Energy (DOE), we work on the following research areas:

Research Areas: 

• 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.