Understanding the Reactive Evolution of Ion-Battery Interfaces through a Versatile Single-Site Ionic Interrogation and Imaging Toolset

该项目由化学部化学成像计划资助。伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的华金·罗德里格斯·洛佩兹教授正在开发新的工具和技术，以成像高能量密度电池电极上发生的化学反应，目的是改善其性能和安全性。为了应对探索电池界面上复杂反应的挑战，该项目利用了一种强大的方法来独立处理氧化还原和离子反应性。电池材料的先进概念被完全纳入教育和推广计划，向当地本科生和K-12拉美裔人口介绍学习能源科学的机会。该项目的成果为设计更好的电池提供了指导方针，并响应了美国国家科学基金会S的使命，即通过推动能源科学的进步来服务于国家利益，并让美国保持在电池技术的前沿。本项目致力于阐明碳和硅电池界面化学反应不平衡的早期迹象、演变和后果，因为这些严重影响循环性能、材料利用率和灾难性故障的风险。用于离子插入反应和界面氧化还原反应性的现场测量方法正在开发中。将这两个方面联系起来，有助于在单个位置和纳米结构水平上识别和解决导致电池性能不佳的因素。罗德里格斯·洛佩兹教授制定了一项教育和推广计划，将每一项对研究目标的贡献视为一次教与学的机会。本科生参与与电化学能量相关的演示工具包和计算工具的开发，这些工具通过与教师和学生组织的合作提供给当地高中和K-12西班牙裔学生。该项目具有广泛的社会影响，因为它解决了导致日常能源技术在现实世界中表现出担忧的现象的发现，并让未来的劳动力参与解决这些与能源有关的挑战。

This project is funded by the Chemical Imaging Program of the Chemistry Division. Professor Joaquin Rodriguez Lopez of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is developing new tools and techniques for imaging chemical reactions occurring on energy-dense battery electrodes with the intention of improving their performance and safety. To meet the challenge of exploring complex reactions on battery interfaces, the project utilizes a powerful approach to independently address redox and ionic reactivity. Advanced concepts on battery materials are fully integrated into an educational and outreach plan that introduces the local undergraduate and K-12 Hispanic population to learning opportunities in energy science. The results of this project inform guidelines for designing better batteries and respond to the NSF?s mission of serving the national interest by advancing the progress of energy sciences and by allowing the USA to remain at the forefront of battery technologies. This project focuses on elucidating the early signs, evolution, and consequences of uneven chemical reactivity on carbon and silicon battery interfaces as these strongly impact cycling performance, materials utilization, and risk of catastrophic failure. In situ methods for the localized measurement of ion insertion reactions and of interfacial redox reactivity are being developed. Correlating these two aspects helps to identify and address the factors that lead to battery underperformance at the level of single sites and nanostructures. An educational and outreach plan developed by Prof. Rodriguez Lopez takes each contribution towards the research goals as a teaching and learning opportunity. Undergraduate students participate in the development of demonstration kits and computational tools related to electrochemical energy that are delivered to local high school and to K-12 Hispanic students through collaborations with teacher and student organizations. This project has a broad societal impact as it addresses the discovery of phenomena that lead to real-world performance concerns on everyday energy technologies and involves the future workforce in the solution of these energy-related challenges.