New solid state electrolytes for fuel cell and Li ion battery applications

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Fuel cells and batteries are electrochemical cells that convert chemical energy into electrical energy with very high efficiency. These technologies are at the forefront of new power sources because they not only offer a broad range of applications, but also are 'green' power sources. Batteries can provide power to devices ranging from pacemakers to consumer electronics and are completely self contained, a true 'zero' greenhouse gas emission device. Fuel cells offer the advantages of being extremely efficient at converting fuels, such as natural and hydrogen, directly to electricity and power anything from portable electronics to stationary power plants. However, we still lack a complete understanding of both of these technologies and require further research before the possibility of creating a large distributive energy network based on either of these technologies is feasible. Fuel cell technology, including solid oxide and proton exchange membrane fuel cells, is still too expensive to be broadly accepted and mass-produced. In our work, we will develop materials for both of these technologies and develop a better understanding of their functional properties. The goals of the proposed research are to develop highly conductive solid state proton conductors based on perovskite-like metal oxides, organic intercalated layered perovskite-type solid acids and composites of Li phosphate and metal oxides through a deep understanding of their ionic conduction mechanism and electrochemical stability. Generating highly conductive and stable solid-state electrolytes is a key step towards the successful commercialization of both long-term stable proton conducting fuel cells and high energy density all-solid-state Li ion batteries. My research program will train a significant number of graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral students, giving all of them "hands-on" experience in solid-state materials research and its application to new energy-related innovations.