The future of green technology is closer than ever. So close that you can see it for yourself at 麻花影视.
There in the聽聽(ECS), Professor Quinn Qiao (above, at left/right) is ushering in a new era of battery power and energy storage technology. He and his students design solid-state batteries鈥攃leaner, safer and more affordable alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
鈥淪olid-state batteries are the holy grail of energy research,鈥� says Qiao, who teaches in the (MAE) department. 鈥淐ompared to conventional batteries, they have a greater storage capacity and leave a smaller carbon footprint.鈥�
Public interest in sustainability and low greenhouse gas emissions is at an all-time high. Qiao is capitalizing on this trend through his involvement with the (CEPS) and the 鈥攊nter-institutional research hubs supported by the . 鈥淥ur work is of vital interest to consumers, investors and governments.鈥�
thrive on front-line machinery and equipment. His newly renovated lab in Link Hall reflects a broad commitment to experiential learning and new technologies. The space also is a physical expression of ECS鈥� ambitious growth aspirations. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a rich research ecosystem, all under one roof,鈥� he says.
Synthesizing Opportunity
Professor Quinn Qiao gauges a coin-cell battery鈥檚 performance by repeatedly charging and discharging it over time鈥攁 process known as cycling.
To appreciate Qiao鈥檚 research is to understand how batteries work. A battery contains one or more cells that convert chemical energy into electric energy, explains the former South Dakota State professor, who joined 麻花影视鈥檚 faculty in 2020. 鈥淭his happens through reactions, where electrons filled with energy move between different materials.鈥�
鈥淟ink Hall is like one-stop shopping for research and design,鈥� says Muhammad Bilal Faheem Sattar, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He and Vanshika, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry, are reviewing atomic force microscopy images.
Of the many shapes, sizes and formats of batteries, lithium-ion batteries are among the most common. Their quick recharge time and long cycle life have made them synonymous with battery electric vehicles (EVs) and consumer appliances. But liquid-electrolyte-filled cells are environmentally harmful and potential fire hazards.
Enter solid-state batteries, whose cells use solid electrolytes to transport lithium ions between electrode conductors. Despite their small size, solid-state batteries can store up to 10 times more energy than their rechargeable counterparts.
Muhammad Bilal Faheem Sattar, a Ph.D. candidate in MAE, studies the chemical compositions of batteries. 鈥淚 want to make batteries environmentally sustainable,鈥� he says, noting his interest in flat, flexible 鈥減ouch batteries.鈥� 鈥淎t 麻花影视, I have access to instruments for device fabrication and characterization as well as tools for evaluating the corresponding devices.鈥�
Such equipment includes gloveboxes, enabling Sattar to engineer substances in a pure, inert atmosphere; spectrometers for observing how materials interact with electromagnetic waves; multiple battery testing stations; and several electron microscopes.
Sattar appreciates having everything at his fingertips. 鈥淟ink Hall is like one-stop shopping for research and design,鈥� he says.
Getting High-Tech, Hands-on Experience
Qiao鈥檚 research team includes (clockwise from left) Ph.D. candidates Amirreza Tarafdar, Sattar, Yuchen Zhang, Hansheng Li G鈥�18 and Madan Bahadur Saud as well as Professors Qiao and Yeqing Wang.
Hansheng Li G鈥�18, a Ph.D. candidate in MAE, is another beneficiary of 麻花影视鈥檚 lab renovation strategies. He鈥檚 currently designing magnesium-based cathode materials. (A cathode is an electrode located on the positive side of a battery cell that acquires electrons during the discharging process and releases them during charging. An anode, found on the cell鈥檚 negative side, does the opposite.) 鈥淲e鈥檙e accelerating energy synthesis by almost 90%,鈥� Li says.
Integral to his research is a high-tech microwave reactor system鈥攁 staple of all battery research labs. Such reactors look like futuristic microwave ovens, using electromagnetic waves to heat materials, but on a micrometer scale.
Li also takes advantage of 麻花影视鈥檚 ultra-high-resolution scanning electron microscope (鈥済ood for observing the structure and morphology of synthesized materials鈥�), multichannel battery testers and vacuum lamination sealer.
We鈥檙e turning today鈥檚 students into tomorrow鈥檚 leaders.
Professor Quinn Qiao
For someone who wants to someday manufacture advanced battery materials, Li sees his involvement with CEPS and the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine as more than 鈥測ielding impactful academic outcomes.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 getting hands-on experience in fabricating batteries,鈥� says Li, who works with Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Carrier Global and the C4V battery technology company. 鈥淭his includes developing a cost-effective, scalable process for manufacturing.鈥�
Today鈥檚 Students, Tomorrow鈥檚 Leaders
Evidence of 麻花影视鈥檚 research culture permeates Qiao鈥檚 lab, which is more of a shared workspace than an individual faculty area. Engineers rub elbows with scientists and mathematicians, while students from myriad backgrounds cut their teeth on all matter of projects.
Quinn and Wang with a 鈥減ouch battery鈥� testing system.
Qiao shares an interest in materials science with Yeqing Wang, an assistant professor of MAE who designs and fabricates sustainable anode materials in ECS鈥� . Wang transfers the anodes to Qiao鈥檚 lab, where they鈥檙e assembled into coin-cell batteries.
鈥淲e use a glovebox to build the specimens and a coin-cell battery tester to characterize and measure their charge-discharge performance,鈥� Wang says. 鈥淏y incorporating sustainable materials, like flake graphite, we reduce energy consumption during materials processing and improve battery efficiency.鈥�
One of their students is Madan Bahadur Saud, who is designing a lithium-metal battery that could help revolutionize the EV and energy storage industries. 鈥淥ur solid-state battery will hopefully outperform others in terms of cycle life, energy density and safety,鈥� he says. The Ph.D. candidate in MAE frequently uses a planetary ball mill to grind and mix powder materials, including chemicals, into micrometer and nanometer sizes.
Saud uses a glovebox to manipulate materials in a separate environment. He鈥檚 joined by Wang, Tarafdar and Qiao.
Saud is big on doping strategies, in which he inserts trace amounts of impurities called 鈥渄opants鈥� into battery cell electrolytes. Dopants not only increase ionic conductivity, but also improve the stability of electrodes and widen the voltage window.
None of this is possible without high-quality instruments and industry-standard methodologies, Saud explains. 鈥淭hey give me fresh, new insights into interfacial challenges at the atomic and microscopic levels.鈥�
Fellow MAE Ph.D. candidate Yuchen Zhang agrees. Under Qiao鈥檚 watchful eye, he鈥檚 refining an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based technique that could impact off-grid power systems, solar-powered vehicles and large-scale electricity generation.
Atomic force microscopy enables Qiao鈥檚 team to develop cutting-edge solar technologies.
To do this, Zhang utilizes an atomic force microscope to measure the surface topography, potential and conductivity of thin-film photovoltaic devices. Afterward, he maps their charge carrier dynamics in nanoscale dimensions. 鈥淲e have a patent on a characteristic of this AFM technique,鈥� says the solar cell specialist. 鈥淥ur findings support the environmental and economic impacts of green energy.鈥�
Qiao admits there鈥檚 a sense of urgency to these projects, that facilities are more than just tools of the trade. 鈥淲e鈥檙e turning today鈥檚 students into tomorrow鈥檚 leaders,鈥� he states. And like green technology, it鈥檚 work with educational, environmental and economic consequences.
