The ever-growing demand for sustainable transportation and renewable energy sources has placed a critical spotlight on lithium batteries, which are key to unlocking a cleaner future. However, current lithium-ion battery technology has reached its theoretical energy density limit and cannot meet these demands. Developing new battery chemistries with high energy density has been challenging due to the intrinsic complexity of batteries. This complexity includes defects in materials, inhomogeneity in manufacturing, and phase transitions and interphase formation under electrochemical dynamics. These factors make it difficult to accurately correlate atomic-level properties with device-level performance, complicating problem-solving across different scales. In this presentation, I will introduce the holistic approaches we have adopted, including advanced materials design, characterization, and manufacturing, to achieve better batteries. Specifically, I will demonstrate how multi-scale, quantitative characterization opens new avenues for understanding and manipulating high-energy lithium-based batteries. I will also introduce our recent research on developing better separators based on biomaterials using new manufacturing processes. By tackling these challenges head-on, our research strives to pave the way for a more sustainable future.
Dr. Chengcheng Fang is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University since 2020. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from University of California San Diego in 2019. She obtained her Master of Philosophy in Innovative Technologies Leadership from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2015. She received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University in 2012. Her research focuses on developing multiscale quantitative characterization tools and designing advanced materials and manufacturing methods for next-generation energy storage devices. Her research work has been published in prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Energy, etc. She received the Materials Research Society Graduate Student Award and was named to the MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators under 35 Global List in 2022.