Center for Electrical Energy Storage Energy Frontier Research Center

The solid-electrolyte interface is a critical component in chemical energy storage.

The Center for Electrical Energy Storage (CEES) will tackle the scientific limitations of today's electrochemical energy storage (EES) technologies, including batteries and supercapacitors, for transportation, residential, and commercial use. The Center’s main goals are to understand the interactions of materials that control electrochemical processes in electrical energy storage devices, and to design novel materials and interfacial structures to enable revolutionary improvement of these devices.

EES devices have been available for many years, but the atomic- and molecular-level processes that affect their operation and performance are not fully understood. With further knowledge of these processes, scientists will be able to find ways to bridge gaps in current EES technology and by discovering and inventing new ways to meet future energy storage requirements.

The CEES will focus on lithium batteries, as they offer the best opportunity for rapid technological advancement.

CEES is one of two Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) centered at Argonne. The other, the Institute for Atom-Efficient Chemical Transformations, will investigate electrical-energy storage technologies for alternative renewable energy sources, transportation, medicine, defense, aerospace, telecommunications and consumer applications. Argonne will also will play a prominent role in 10 other EFRCs (read the Argonne news release about the establishment of EFRCs at Argonne).

CEES Partners

The Center will receive $19 million over five years. Argonne is the lead organization, with Argonne chemist Michael Thackeray as principal investigator and CEES director. The Center's other members include Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.