Research Opportunity Number: CBE-05

Project Title: Materials Characterization for Insights Into Production of High Performance Cathodes for Lithium Ion Batteries

Project Summary: The chemical nature, composition, crystallinity, and microstructure of cathode materials is vital to their performance in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this project, the student will investigate and learn about fundamental aspects of cathode materials and their properties such as surface composition, crystalline structure, and morphology by using selected instruments in our laboratories and assisting postdoctoral researchers in obtaining data on advanced equipment in the Imaging and Analysis Center (IAC) at the Princeton Materials Institute (PMI). This project is a great opportunity for the student to learn about state-of-the-art materials characterization, with applications at the frontier of materials and energy research. Cathode materials for analysis will be available from a collaboration with a local company, Princeton NuEnergy.

Student Roles and Responsibilities: Student will prepare materials, assist and conduct measurements characterizing and imaging these materials, and analyze the results. The student will have some supervised access to conduct X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for materials characterization.

Additional Considerations: Start and end dates are flexible, but the student should be available essentially full-time (at least 35 hours/week) for a minimum of 7-8 weeks

Department/Institute: Chemical & Biological Engineering Department

Faculty Sponsor: Bruce E. Koel

Participation Dates: 6/10/2024 to 8/23/2024

Stipend Offered: $0

Number of Internships Available: 0-1

Application Deadline: March 15, 2024, midnight eastern daylight time