Events Calendar

AME Seminar

Speaker: Weiyu Li, Stanford

Talk Title: Battery Avatar: First-Principles Modeling and Data Analytics

Abstract: Rechargeable lithium batteries are electrochemical devices that are widely used in portable electronics and electric-powered vehicles. A breakthrough in battery performance requires advancements in battery cell configurations at the microscale level. This, in turn, places a premium on the ability to accurately predict complex multiphase thermoelectrochemical phenomena, e.g., migration of ions interacting with composite porous materials that constitute a battery cell microstructure. Optimal design of porous cathodes requires efficient quantitative models of microscopic (pore-scale) electrochemical processes and their impact on battery performance. In this talk, I will discuss effective properties (electrical conductivity, ionic diffusivity, reaction parameters) of a composite electrode comprising the active material coated with a mixture of the binder and conductor (the carbon binder domain or CBD). When used to parameterize the industry-standard pseudo-twodimensional (P2D) models, they significantly improve the predictions of lithiation curves in the presence of CBD. On the lithium anode, dendritic growth is a leading cause of degradation and catastrophic failure of lithium-metal batteries. Deep understanding of this phenomenon would facilitate the design of strategies to reduce, or completely suppress, the instabilities characterizing electrodeposition on the lithium anode. This would improve the safety of lithium-metal batteries with liquid electrolyte and all-solid-state lithium batteries. I will present the results of our analysis, which indicate that the use of anisotropic electrolytes and buffer layers can suppress dendritic growth of lithium metal.

Biography: Weiyu Li has received her M.Sc. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and is scheduled to obtain her PhD in Energy Science and Engineering from Stanford University in the Spring of 2023. Her research focuses on modeling and simulation of electrochemical transport in energy storage systems, aiming to provide mechanistic insights into the optimal design of porous electrodes, electrolyte, etc. Her other research interests include data assimilation and biomedical modeling. Weiyu Li is the recipient of the Siebel Scholars Award in Energy Science, class of 2023, and of the Princeton University Fellowship in Natural Sciences and Engineering.

Host: AME Department

More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/

Webcast: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95805178776?pwd=aEtTRnQ2MmJ6UWE4dk9UMG9GdENLQT09

Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 406

WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/95805178776?pwd=aEtTRnQ2MmJ6UWE4dk9UMG9GdENLQT09

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Tessa Yao

Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/