[CCoE Notice] PhD Dissertation Defense: Developing Beyond Lithium Ion Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage

[Grayson, Audrey A]

Defense Announcement
Developing Beyond Lithium Ion Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage
Yifei Li
Degree: PhD, Materials Science and Engineering
Date: July 26, 2016                                         Time: 10 am
Location: N328 Engineering Building 1
Committee Chair:    Dr. Yan Yao, ECE
Committee Members: Dr. Jiming Bao, ECE
            Dr. Shin-Shem Steven Pei, ECE
            Dr. Lars C. Grabow, CBE
            Dr. Shuo Chen, Physics

To meet surging demands for sustainable energy and clean environment, one critical requirement is to develop safe and low-cost rechargeable batteries for electric transportation and grid energy storage. Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are the dominant battery technology for portable electronics. However, the limited lithium resources on the Earth as well as safety issues of flammable electrolyte are causing serious concerns for large-scale energy storage. The objective of this dissertation is to develop beyond lithium ion batteries for building cheaper and safer next-generation energy storage technologies. At the foundation of these novel batteries are innovative strategies to control the movement of ions, electrons, and redox reactions.
In this dissertation, I report four types of beyond lithium ion batteries, including sodium ion batteries (NIBs), magnesium rechargeable batteries (MRBs), hybrid ion batteries, and magnesium-air batteries. I first demonstrate an interlayer expansion approach to overcome the large Na+ ion size to significantly enhance the diffusivity of Na+. Theory, synthesis, electrochemical measurements, and kinetic analysis are combined to double the Na+ storage capacity in the expanded MoS2, which boost the Na+ conductivity by two orders of magnitude. My second strategy is to control the oxygen vacancy in the electrode host structure to optimize the electronic conductivity. When 3% oxygen vacancy is introduced to MoO3, the electrode exhibits a significant increase in capacity and enhanced cycling stability. The third strategy is to construct a hybrid-ion battery utilizing a mixed Na-Mg-ion electrolyte, which reveals excellent power performance. Finally, I show a stable mixed-phase mullite electrocatalyst as an efficient substitute for Pt/C in pH-neutral oxygen reduction reaction. Magnesium-air batteries are demonstrated to power a red light-emitting diode. The work described in this dissertation will provide exciting opportunities for future materials development of beyond lithium ion batteries for electrical energy storage.
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