Applied energy

Islands of inactive lithium creep like worms to reconnect with their electrodes, restoring a battery’s capacity and lifespan.

The lab will help fund the work of researchers who use artificial intelligence and machine learning to make energy systems more sustainable, affordable, resilient and fair to all socioeconomic groups.

Scientists have documented a process that makes these next-gen batteries lose charge – and eventually some of their capacity for storing energy – even when a device is turned off.

Adding polymers and fireproofing to a battery’s current collectors makes it lighter, safer and about 20% more efficient.

The lab is responding to the coronavirus crisis by imaging disease-related biomolecules, developing standards for reliable coronavirus testing and enabling other essential research.

By observing changes in materials as they’re being synthesized, scientists hope to learn how they form and come up with recipes for making the materials they need for next-gen energy technologies.

They created a comprehensive picture of how the same chemical processes that give these cathodes their high capacity are also linked to changes in atomic structure that sap performance.

More than 100 students worked on projects ranging from website development to imaging techniques for X-ray studies, learning new ways to apply their talents.

It's the first to employ AI to help the grid manage power fluctuations, resist damage and recover faster from storms, solar eclipses, cyberattacks and other disruptions.