CAREER: Laser modified transport in electrochemical materials

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TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONThis project will investigate multiscale mechanisms underlying the electrochemical and physical modification of porous materials undergoing laser irradiation. Laser based approaches to materials modifications in electrochemical systems enable an essentially new dimension to processing, since they affect material structures and properties on multiple length scales. The proposed research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms by which laser processing affects electrochemical performance on the micro and nanoscale and the fundamental mechanisms of laser interactions with multiphase materials. Experiments combine laser processing of selected systems with detailed structural and electrochemical characterization and the development of corresponding theoretical models. The successful implementation of this research will not only have a practical effect on the ability to optimize battery materials in a well-defined and controlled fashion, but also extend that understanding into other mesoporous and multiphase material systems such as biomaterials, polymers, composites, ceramics, colloids, and other rapidly growing areas in complex materials. The PI will be active at the university level, developing courses and mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students across traditional disciplines; at the professional and international level by hosting African researchers under the NSF US-Africa Materials Research Institute program who will participate in these research objectives; and at the local and national, level by developing community outreach modules and workshops for local science museums and K-12 classrooms.NON-TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONExisting and future needs in portable energy call for advanced battery and electrochemical storage devices with improved performance in terms of specific power, capacity, cycle life, and high rate behavior. Developments in processing have led to new materials, and with them, the need for a deeper understanding of the underlying scientific issues that affect the device performance. In this project, novel laser-based approaches are used to affect material structures and properties on multiple length scales. Through a detailed study of the laser modification processes in these complex materials, and the resulting electrochemical properties, this research establishes the important relationship between processing and performance in this technologically significant class of materials. In combining research from the fields of laser materials processing and electrochemical energy storage, this project will provide significant new knowledge to both communities, and will have a practical effect on the ability to optimize battery materials in a well-defined and controlled fashion. The inherently interdisciplinary nature of this work, combined with the cultural familiarity of batteries in general, enables an integrated educational component that is accessible to students from all backgrounds and educational levels.