The Technology Development group is dedicated to identifying and evaluating next generation battery electrochemical couples.  We combine capabilities in advanced battery materials synthesis, battery testing,  electrochemical characterization, and spectroscopy on advanced electrode materials to solve energy storage problems.​  ​We maintain strong connections with industry, US national labs, and the academic research community that allows us to maintain a leadership role in developing next generation materials for electrochemical energy storage. ​We contribute to several DOE programs in many areas of energy storage, mainly in the areas of transportation.​

The key capabilities of this group include:​​

Lithium-Ion Full Cell Development: Our focus is to understand the combinations of cell components that can be assembled to create high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.​ We are focused on​ ​​​

• Synthesis of Ni-rich LIB cathodes; performance optimization using various coatings, and construction of cation concentration gradients with the particles.​​
• Evaluation of carbon-based anode materials, lithium metal systems, and Li₄Ti₅O₁₂-based (LTO) technology. LTO systems are being investigated as a component of full cells for fast charging applications.
• Identification of various liquid electrolyte systems that contain new solvents, salts, and functional additives.
• Investigation of the role of sintering in solid state oxide systems that have applications as solid electrolytes.​

Li-air (Li-O₂) battery systems:  Enable  high energy density, energy efficiency, and highly reversibility approaches for Li-Air systems that combine innovation in electrolytes and catalysis, with extensive computer modeling and use of advanced characterization techniques.

• Hybrid Li-ion / Li-air (Li-O₂) systems:  development of electrochemical processes in mixed electrode well-defined systems
• Lithium Superoxide  (LiO₂) battery: Exploration of a new concept using a lithium-oxygen conversion reactions with extensive computer modeling and use of advanced  characterization techniques to guide the effort.
• Na-ion, Na-air, K-ion, K-air battery systems represent emerging cathode and anode materials for energy storage applications.