Speaker: Dr. Steven G. Greenbaum
Title of Talk: NOVEL ELECTROLYTES FOR BATTERIES OPERATING UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS
Abstract: Spacecraft for planetary exploration missions are often exposed to harsh environments, including ionizing radiation and extremes in temperature. For example, according to our collaborators at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a future mission concept calls for insertion of a spacecraft into the Venus atmosphere held aloft by a two-stage helium balloon.1 Thermal models predict that during daytime operation, the battery modules in the spacecraft will approach 100oC, well beyond the range of operation of standard lithium-ion batteries. JPL has developed alternative electrolyte formulations to enable past, present, and future missions,2 including a recent evaluation of the addition of fluorinated ether co-solvents for high temperature operation.3 Next, a recent collaboration with the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) and the University of Rome - Sapienza is on ionic liquid based electrolytes with and without a polymer matrix designed for elevated temperature operation. In this presentation, we discuss these efforts in detail, with emphasis on the characterization of ion transport by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods.
Read more about the speaker: https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/people/steven-greenbaum/