Amy Prieto (Colorado State University)

 Title: Developing Synthetic Tools for Inexpensive, Efficient Energy Production and Storage

We are interested in developing electrochemical methods for the synthesis of materials with applications in energy storage. In particular, we are interested in how the incorporation of energy storage materials into high surface area architectures can enable improved performance for rechargeable batteries. There are two main limitations to the rate of charging Li-ion batteries: slow diffusion of Li⁺ into the electrodes and slow diffusion between them. The synthesis of high surface area electrodes has been shown to dramatically enhance performance because reducing the particle size of the electrode material reduces the distance the Li⁺ ions have to diffuse. The problem of decreasing the Li+ diffusion length between electrodes has not yet been solved. We are working to incorporate high surface area structures of intermetallic anode materials into a new battery architecture wherein the current collector is conformally coated with an electrolyte made by electrochemical deposition, then surrounded by the cathode electrode. The significant advantage is that the diffusion length for Li⁺ between the cathode and anode will be dramatically reduced, which should lead to much faster charging rates. I’ll also discuss what the challenges are currently in the marketplace for the implementation of new battery chemistries and architectures, in terms of the translation of fundamental research in the lab to commercialization.