Using X-Ray Scattering to Determine the Correlation Between Battery Elemental Ratio and Performance

Authors:

• Students:
  • Julia Chome
  • Vanessa Huerta
• Teachers:
  • Wayne Oras
• Mentors:
  • Olaf Borkiewicz (Argonne National Laboratory, Sector 11-ID-B)
  • Kamila Wiaderek (Argonne National Laboratory, Sector 11-ID-B)

Advanced Photon Source Sector 11: Structural Science Group

Batteries are a common portable method of containing and supplying energy to a variety of electrically powered devices. The challenge to meet the growing demands of compact energy sources has led to a constant need for improvements. Battery use has exponentially increased in a range of products from low-power mobile phones to high-energy electric vehicles. Current research aims to attain a more efficient battery by studying the effects of altering the chemical composition and fine-tuning the dimensions of cathode particles during charge and discharge cycles of lithium-ion batteries. High-energy X-ray scattering measurements are taken during battery charge and discharge cycles to determine how chemical doping and varying composition of the cathode materials influence the performance of present-day and next-generation batteries. The experiment consists of battery materials that are commonly used in everyday electronic devices and vehicle applications. This experiment provides a deeper understanding of the correlation between material characteristics and battery efficiency.

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