"Design Better Electrolytes"
Lithium-ion battery (LIB) is the most popular electrochemical device ever invented in the history of mankind. In the three decades (1991~2021) since its commercialization, it has touched almost every single human being on this planet. Working in billions of LIBs around the world, electrolyte determines how fast energy is captured or released on demand, how many times the battery could be charged/discharged, or how long LIB would last. When the LIBs deviate from the designed electrochemical pathways, either induced by thermal, electric or mechanical abuses, electrolyte is also held responsible for the fire and explosion incidents that we often read about in the headlines.
This seminar will review the tortuous pathway that electrolyte was developed for modern LIBs, the fundamental science underneath it and the challenges we are facing in designing better electrolytes for the future batteries.
