Materials Science Research Lecture

Webinar Link:

https://caltech.zoom.us/j/95708772987

Webinar ID: 957 0877 2987

Abstract:

All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSBs) have emerged as exciting alternatives to conventional liquid electrolyte cells for electrochemical energy storage, owing to their enhanced safety and higher energy densities. ASSBs are founded on high performance fast-ion conducting electrolytes, where the search for new crystalline and glassy materials materials hinges on understanding their intrinsic nature. Currently, a comprehensive knowledge of the factors that dictate facile Li-ion transport remains elusive, as does mastering the interface of the solid electrolyte with the electrode materials.

The seminar will cover an overview of the state-of-the art in the field, followed by a focus on recent findings in our laboratory based on neutron scattering that are complemented by analysis using the maximum entropy method, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and solid-state NMR studies. We correlate structure with ionic conductivity in a range of newly developed fast ion Li conductors to understand how cation disorder and a frustrated energy landscape impacts conductivity and activation energy. These considerations lead to an overarching understanding for design concepts for ion transport and electrolyte-electrode interfaces in solid state batteries, which serves as the theme of the presentation. Translation of our findings to high performance practical solid-state batteries whose high performance exceeds that of their liquid electrolyte counterparts will be introduced at the end.

More about the Speaker:

Linda Faye Nazar is the Senior Canada Research Chair in Solid State Energy Materials and Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo. She develops materials for electrochemical energy storage. In 2020, she was awarded the prestigious Materials Research Society Medal, and was inducted into the Royal Society London in recognition of her work.

Professor Linda Nazar's research focuses on developing new materials that can store and deliver electrochemical energy, and on advancing next-generation rechargeable battery research and design. Her research program encompasses complex material synthesis, nanomaterials, physical/structural characterization, electrochemical testing and electrode design. The research employs a range of materials chemistry techniques, including ex-situ and in-situ studies involving X-ray/neutron diffraction, computation and X-ray/impedance/NMR spectroscopies, combined with fundamental electrochemical studies used to examine the underlying processes in solids.

Professor Nazar has numerous awards, including Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher for the past six years (2014 -2020); Fellow of the Royal Society UK (2020); MRS Medal (USA; 2020); Chemical Institute of Canada Medal (2019); Bailar Medal (Univ Illinois UC, 2019); Officer of the Order of Canada (2015); Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2011); IUPAC Distinguished Woman in Chemistry (2011); Distinguished Lecturer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2011), the Rio Tinto Alcan Award of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (2011), and Moore Distinguished Scholar (California Institute of Technology) (2010).