ChBE Research Groups Receive DOE Vehicle Technology Awards

University of Maryland (UMD) faculty members recently received Department of Energy Vehicle Technology Office (DOE-VTO) awards to fund advanced battery research projects meant to accelerate the development of lithium-metal solid state batteries.

Eric Wachsman – holding joint appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) and Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), also the director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEI²) – was awarded $1M for his study entitled, “Low Impedance Cathode/Electrolyte Interfaces for High Energy Density Solid-State Batteries.” The project will research, develop and test lithium metal-based batteries that implement solid lithium-ion conductors, equipped with nickel manganese cobalt cathodes, integrated into the lithium-metal tri-layer architecture. Performance targets for the batteries include a 15-year calendar life, cycle life of 1,000 with less than 20% performance degradation, and a specific energy greater than 350 Wh/kg.

Chunsheng Wang – who holds joint appointments in ChBE and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and is the director of the Center for Research in Extreme Batteries (CREB) – received $1M in funding for his research, “Lithium Dendrite-Free Solid Electrolytes for High Energy Lithium Batteries.” Wang’s work will focus on optimizing the next generation of high-energy L-ion batteries.

The DOE-VTO goal is to reduce the cost, volume and weight of batteries while improving the vehicle battery performance (power, energy, durability). Advancing these energy storage technologies will allow more commercially driven electric vehicles to enter the market. UMD received more funding than any other university in the nation, and is the only one to receive multiple awards in the advanced battery category.

Published August 23, 2019