FLC | Brookhaven and SBU rev up to advance battery research for electric vehicles

Brookhaven and SBU rev up to advance battery research for electric vehicles

August 25, 2021

Stony Brook University’s Institute for Electrochemically Stored Energy, through the Research Foundation of SUNY, has received a major grant from the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) to further develop battery technology that could make electric vehicles (EVs) more efficient. Scientists from Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Brown University will collaborate on the research with the goal to establish the new class of electrolytes for building storage capacity in EVs.

“Brookhaven National Laboratory is making significant contributions to initiatives related to clean energy. This new program will address some of the scientific challenges related to batteries for electric vehicles,” said Jim Misewich, Brookhaven Lab’s Associate Laboratory Director for the Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate. “This is also an outstanding example of collaboration where Brookhaven National Lab scientists will be interacting closely with faculty and young investigators from Stony Brook University and Brown University. We are delighted to participate in this opportunity.”

The research, led by Esther Takeuchi, PhD, is funded through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicles Technology Office, and is part of a national research initiative to accelerate advancements in zero-emissions vehicles. The grant totals $2,285,813, effective October 1, 2021, and runs through December 2024.

“Our research is focused on new electrolytes to enable batteries to operate over wide temperatures, charge fast, and cycle effectively,” said Takeuchi, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, the William and Jane Knapp Chair in Energy and the Environment at Stony Brook University. She also has a joint appointment with the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, of which Stony Brook is part of the management team.

The research team will develop electrolytes under extreme conditions. By using unique tools available at each respective institution, the scientific team will characterize ion mobility and stability properties of the electrolytes, and test batteries under baseline and extreme conditions to evaluate electrochemical function. The work will combine modeling, simulation and experimentation – all in an effort to meet the needs of present and anticipated Li-ion battery applications.

David Bock, a former Stony Brook graduate student who is now an associate scientist in Brookhaven Lab’s Interdisciplinary Science Department (ISD), is the Brookhaven Lab principal investigator for the project. Additional Brookhaven Lab ISD participants include Lisa Housel, Lei Wang, and Chavis Stackhouse.

Stony Brook joins 23 other research organizations nationwide to advance the R&D necessary to help decarbonize the transportation sector. The total DOE funding for this initiative is $60 million.