Event
CHBE Seminar: Dr. Paul Albertus, UMD
Friday, September 15, 2023
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Patricia Lorenzana
301 405 1935
plorenza@umd.edu
Electrochemical-Mechanical Coupling at Metal Electrode/Solid Electrolyte Interfaces and the Safety of Li Metal Solid-State Batteries
Abstract: High-energy, metal (e.g. Li, Na) electrode, solid-state batteries hold great potential as higher performing and safer successors to current Li-ion technology. However, achieving stable cycling at a solid metal electrode / solid electrolyte separator interface, and realizing the improved safety promised by non-flammable solid electrolytes, require advances in fundamental understanding in several areas. The present talk will focus on two such areas: (1) electrochemical-mechanical coupling and (2) solid state battery material set calorimetry. For topic (1), I will provide an overview of measurement techniques and opportunities to advance the fundamental understanding of the coupling of mechanical stresses with the thermodynamic, transport, and kinetic behaviors present in solid-state thin-film structures. The implications of these results for one important challenge for cycling at a metal electrode / solid electrolyte interface – dendrite formation due to solid electrolyte fracture – will be described with a continuum-scale model. I will also share experimental results for cycling of the Na metal / Na - β"-Al2O3 interface at high areal capacities under a controlled stack pressure. For topic (2), I will discuss a new approach to assess the potential safety of a new battery chemistry before a large-format cell can be tested directly. In particular, careful calorimetry work on complete cell material sets can be used to create thermochemical maps of reaction pathways, and those maps can provide key safety information such as the onset temperature of exothermic events, total heat release, the rate of heat release, and how these properties are affected by the interactions among cell components.
Bio: Dr. Paul Albertus holds a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied Electrochemical Engineering. Dr. Albertus then spent about five years at the Bosch Research and Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA, as a Senior Research Engineer, where he continued research on electrochemical systems, including Li/Oxygen and flow batteries. In 2014 Dr. Albertus joined the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, where he led the development of two programs (IONICS and DAYS) focused on energy storage for both portable and stationary applications, and managed electrochemical projects across a range of ARPA-E programs. Dr. Albertus transitioned to academic roles at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2019, and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute. His research group focuses on mathematical modeling, experimental characterization, and innovations for electrochemical technologies, including lithium metal and solid state batteries. He is the author of over 35 journal and book chapter publications, and holds over 25 patents.
