Emerging Leaders Program

Ellen Williams Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship
Research Topic: Time-Domain Nanoscience

Li insertion/extraction behavior in 1-D nano-pore-structures Si anodes for Li ion batteries

Advisor(s):

Prof. Chunsheng Wang

Research Description

Lithium-ion batteries have been recognized as an enabling technology for a vast range of applications, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), electric vehicles (EVs), and renewable energy storage. Silicon has a very high specific capacity but is hindered by poor cycling stability due to rapid increase in contact resistance between pulverized Si and the current collector. A successful strategy for improving the cycling stability of Si anodes has been demonstrated by introducing nano-pores to accommodate the volume change during lithiation/delithiation. However, the exact mechanism behind the performance increase is still not fully understood.

The selected candidate will work on the fabrication of porous Si films with well-patterned one-dimensional pore structure by physical sputtering to deposit Si/Al films combined with chemical etching. The selected candidate will also investigate the charge/discharge kinetics at different states of charge/discharge using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cycling voltammetry. A mathematical model will be developed to guide and optimize the porous Si anode. The morphology and structure of porous Si will be observed using SEM, XRD, and TEM.