Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are being considered as one of the most promising technologies for safer, high-energy, and long-term energy storage. However, key materials issues remain unsolved and serious barriers must be overcome for the full-scale commercialization of SSBs. In this presentation I will discuss some of our approaches to understand the key challenges in solid electrolyte materials. Based on a modified electrochemical measurement and first-principles computations, we show that the electrochemical stability window of solid electrolytes was significantly overestimated from the conventional measurement. Electrochemical decompositions of solid electrolytes occur and can lead to interfacial resistances in solid state batteries. Suppressing the (electro)chemical reactions between electrode and electrolyte by engineering their interphase enables a high performance all-ceramic lithium battery. I will further show the general belief that solid electrolytes can prevent lithium dendrite formation is incorrect. Using time-revolved neutron depth profiling, we visualize the deposition of lithium dendrites directly inside the solid electrolytes, thus highlighting the important role of electronic conductivity in dendrite formation. I will conclude my presentation by outlining the visions for my future research.
Dr. Fudong Han joined MANE at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an Assistant Professor and Priti and Mukesh Chatter ’82 Career Development Chair in August 2019. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Maryland College Park in 2018, and his MS and BS in Materials Science and Engineering at Shandong University in 2012 and 2009, respectively. His research mainly focuses on advanced materials for electrochemical energy storage. He has published more than 60 papers in a wide range of journals. Han is also the recipient of 2017 Materials Research Society Graduate Student Gold Award and 2018 Electrochemical Society Battery Division Student Research Award.