Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Assistant professor Jae Chul Kim will collaborate with battery and electronic materials manufacturer Samsung SDI to address one of today’s biggest challenges in battery technology. In his new project, “A Study on the Improvement of Life and Storage Characteristics of Cathode for High Voltage,” Kim and his team will investigate interphases between a cathode and an electrolyte, and tailor their electro-chemo-mechanical properties for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

The future of electric vehicles will be driven in part by the ability to design battery materials that can store a large amount of electrons per unit volume. Lithium transition metal oxides (LiTMO2) show promise in this area, but how to effectively control their behaviors at high voltage is still not fully understood. To better design high-voltage cathode materials, the industry needs to establish a unified understanding about how cathode particles form, transform, and function.

Kim and his team will be exploring materials design and processing principles of a longer-lasting LiTMO2 cathode. First, they will develop an understanding about how transition metal compositions affect the reversible lithium extraction and insertion. They will clarify the effect of doping chemistry on the LiTMO2 physicochemical properties.

Jae Chul Kim, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, is one of the 83 recipients of the 2022 Early Career Research Program by the Department of Energy (DOE). In his proposal entitled "Designing Chemical Disorder in Solid-State Superionic Conductors," Kim will develop fundamental understandings about how non-crystalline materials form, transform, and function, rationalizing discovery of non-crystalline solid electrolyte materials for solid-state battery applications. The award totals $750,000. Now in its thirteenth year, the DOE Early Career Research Program is "designed to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during crucial early career years, when many scientists do their most formative work." The award is "a part of the DOE's Commitment to Supporting Next Generation of U.S. STEM Leaders who will solidify America’s role as the driver of science and innovation around the world,” according to DOE.