Research Directions
I. Electrodeposition of Metal Anodes
- Current- and potential-dependent morphological instability
- Solid electrolyte interphase
II. Kinetics in Liquid, Polymer, and Ceramic Electrolytes
- Anion- and solvent-dependent interfacial charge transfer kinetics
- Charge transport kinetics through heterogeneous structures
III. Heterogeneities in Porous Electrodes
- Ion intercalation induced phase transformation
- Population dynamics among hundreds of composing particles
Our Methods
We design special electrochemical cells to characterize the targeted dynamic processes. The obtained transient responses are analyzed by new mathematical equations to reveal the self-consistent explanations. Simulations and computations are exploited to complement the physical justifications of kinetics and thermodynamic parameters.
I. Mesoscale Operando Characterization
- mm-sized filed of view with sub-micron details
- accurate determination of local current densities
- direct diagnosis of the interface in dynamic conditions
II. Theoretical Battery Electrochemistry – A growing list of new equations developed at WashU
- Generalized Sand’s time equation for potential-step technique in realistic conditions
- Boundary-length kinetic equation during electrochemical phase transformation
- Young-Laplace equation for critical metal penetration through separator pores
III. Simulations and Computaions
- Porous electrode simulations with non-equilibrium materials thermodynamics
- Molecular dynamics simulations of bulk and interfacial solvation structures
- Quantum chemistry calculations for electrolyte and interphase optimizations