Title: Collaborative Research: Fundamental Understanding of Ionic Insertion/Extraction Mechanism on Organic Electrodes
Collaborative:
Principal Investigator: Huixin He (Lead) Number: 1438493 Institution: Rutgers University - Newark
Principal Investigator: Chunsheng Wang Number: 1438198 Institution: University of Maryland, College Park
There is a strong need to develop batteries for storage of electricity that are inexpensive and use sustainable materials. Rechargeable batteries based on organic materials such as crystalline salts of croconic acid are potentially inexpensive and can be fabricated from sustainable resources, but suffer from low power and eventual failure after many re-charging cycles. The goal of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of ion movement during the charging cycle in these materials. This information can then be used to rationally design organic batteries with improved energy capacity and long cycle life. The approach will make use of advanced techniques for synthesis and performance characterization of organic nanowire batteries that will be complimented by powerful molecular models to predict ion movement. An interdisciplinary team from two universities will be involved in this research effort. The interdisciplinary nature of this research will provide students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels with training in the high-tech fields electrochemical energy systems, nanotechnology, and computational modeling. To broaden participation, activities include an outreach program to provide high school students with a summer research experience, and a workshop for science teachers on sustainable energy topics from school districts in low-income areas of New Jersey.
Organic materials for electrochemical energy storage are potentially inexpensive and can be fabricated from sustainable resources, but suffer from low energy density and cycling failure. The potential to overcome these limitations has not been realized, due in part to an incomplete knowledge of ion insertion/extraction processes within the organic materials. The overall goal of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of the ion insertion and extraction mechanism by elucidating the relationships for the thermodynamics and kinetics of ion insertion/extraction processes for lithium, magnesium, and sodium ions. These relationships will be obtained through density functional theory (DFT) and molecular modeling, in situ electrochemical characterization measurements, and characterization of organic crystal structures. This will approach will be complimented by synthesis and mechanical strain evolution measurements of crystalline croconic acid disodium salt nanowires of controlled size and shape. The fundamental understanding gained from this research can potentially enable the rational design organic materials ordered at the nanoscale and microscale for sustainable organic batteries with high energy density and long cycle life. An interdisciplinary team from two universities will be involved in this research effort. The interdisciplinary nature of this research will provide students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels with training in electrochemical energy systems, nanotechnology, and computational modeling. To broaden participation, activities include an outreach program to provide high school students with a summer research experience, and a workshop for science teachers on sustainable energy topics from school districts in low-income areas of New Jersey.
