(3gd) Designing Polymeric Interphases for Reactive Metal Anodes
AIChE Annual Meeting
2020
2020 Virtual AIChE Annual Meeting
Meet the Candidates Poster Sessions
Meet the Faculty and Post-Doc Candidates Poster Session
Monday, November 16, 2020 - 8:00am to 9:00am
anode poses multiple challenges. Among them, the most difficult are the metalâs propensity to form rough electrodeposits at current densities below the diffusion limit and to react with species in its surroundings to initiate thermal runaway.
Design of electrolytes and solid electrolyte interphases (SEI) that can influence transport of ions within the bulk and at the electrode/electrolyte interface has garnered significant attention for addressing this issue. In this presentation, I will discuss using theoretical predictions from linear stability analysis as a guide to design polymers that are utilized as model solid electrolyte interphases, to understand how different parameters influence the nucleation and growth rate of lithium electrodeposits. By systematically modifying parameters such as crosslinker and side chain chemistry as well as the polymeric network architecture, we study how properties such as impedance, shear modulus, surface energy and cation diffusivity within these polymeric interphases correlated to the morphology and growth rate of the deposited lithium. We then propose initial guidelines for creating polymeric interphases that can stabilize electrodeposition of reactive metals.
Research Interests:
I aim to use my expertise in fundamental chemical engineering principles and polymeric science to enable the advancement of next generation electrochemical energy
technologies. Transport limitations at different length scales are often the culprit that set back the realization of these systems. Using advanced nanoscale and operando characterization tools to fundamentally understand these limitations and designing novel and functional materials from polymeric constituents to address them will be the key theme of my career in academia in the future.