Recent advances, new trends, and future challenges within the Li-ion battery energy storage system
Speaker: Jean-Marie Tarascon
Date: February 10, 2009
Time: 4:15pm
Location: 66-110
Sponsor: MIT Energy Initiative
Abstract
Rechargeable Li-ion cells power most of today’s portable electronics and are serious contenders to both facilitate the rapid development of electric, plug-in or hybrid-electric vehicles, and to better exploit intermittent renewable energy sources (wind, solar) if safety improvements can be achieved while being mindful of materials resources and abundances, as well as materials synthesis and recycling processes, which could inflict a heavy energy cost. Not only are today’s Li-ion batteries based on inorganic insertion compounds that are not environmentally benign, but such materials are produced from ores that are increasingly scarce as well. Thus, electrode materials with a minimal natural footprint made via eco-efficient processes are sorely needed. Aware of such issues, researchers over the last few years have searched for alternatives, namely materials with main components that are naturally abundant, low-cost, and non-toxic.
We will highlight how moving from bulk to nanomaterials can significantly change electrode properties in order to a) enable insertion reactions in poorly conducting compounds that have been so far disregarded, and b) trigger novel reactivity mechanisms, such as conversion reactions, with staggering capacity gains. We will also take a fresh look at organic-based electrodes and the possibility of using conjugated dicarboxylate anodes and oxocarbons’ positive electrodes for renewable Li-ion batteries.
About the speaker
Jean-Marie Tarascon
Jean-Marie Tarascon (1953) is presently professor at the University of Picardie (Amiens), but most of his career was done in the USA, first at Cornell University (1980), then at Bell Laboratories and finally at Bellcore until 1994. His field of research lies in the development of new techniques for the synthesis of new electronic materials (new superconductors, new ferroelectrics, new fluoride glasses and new rechargeable batteries materials) for new solid state electronic devices, and relating crystal structure to electronic, optical and magnetic properties.
He is Author of about 63 patents and more than 470 publications, recipient of many awards, the last in line being the Volta Medal, the 2004 “ISI AWARD”, his nomination at the French Academy of Sciences in 2005 and the UPJV gold medalist in 2008.
