Judith Alvarado

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | LBL · Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Department

NaTi3O6(OH)·2H2O, also known as “sodium nonatitanate” (NNT) can undergo reversible sodium (de)insertion at low potentials centered around 0.3 V. The low average insertion potential and high theoretical capacity (∼200 mA h g⁻¹ based on site considerations) suggest that it can be a promising high energy density anode material for sodium-ion batteries...

Desalination of brackish water sources is critical to addressing the growing global freshwater demand. One promising approach is electrically driven desalination using intercalation electrodes. While intercalation electrodes have been widely researched for energy storage applications, only a small subset of those materials is suitable for desalinat...

It is crucial to suppress lithium dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries. Formation of good solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) has been considered to be effective in limiting lithium dendrite growth. However, how SEI may be modified during lithium deposition is hard to resolve due to challenges in in-situ investigation of the SEI with fine d...

Possible supply security issues associated with lithium-ion batteries have recently prompted further research into sodium-ion analogs, which can be used as drop-in replacements. Sodium ion batteries have reached a fairly advanced level of development and are probably the closest of all the “Beyond Lithium Ion” systems to commercialization. At prese...

Functioning bulk-type all-solid-state batteries in a practical form factor with composite positive electrodes, using Al-substituted Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) as the solid electrolyte, have been demonstrated for the first time. The devices incorporate bilayers composed of dense LLZO membranes and porous LLZO scaffolds infiltrated with LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2...

It is crucial to suppress lithium dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries. Formation of good solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) has been considered to be effective in limiting lithium dendrite growth. However, how SEI may be modified during lithium deposition is hard to resolve due to challenges in in-situ investigation of the SEI with fine d...

Nickel-rich layered oxide cathode materials are attractive near-term candidates for boosting the energy density of next generation lithium-ion batteries. The practical implementation of these materials is, however, hindered by unsatisfactory capacity retention, poor thermal stability, and oxygen release as a consequence of structural decomposition,...

Sodium-ion batteries have the potential to meet large-scale energy storage demands due to their low cost and abundance. In recent years, several breakthroughs have been made on cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries, including the recognition of oxygen redox activity. However, finding suitable anode materials for sodium ion batteries remains on...

Lithium metal anodes offer high theoretical capacities (3,860 milliampere-hours per gram)¹, but rechargeable batteries built with such anodes suffer from dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency (the ratio of charge output to charge input), preventing their commercial adoption2,3. The formation of inactive (‘dead’) lithium— which consists of bo...

The structural integrity of layered Ni-rich oxide cathode materials are one of the most essential factors that critically affect the performance and reliability of lithium-ion batteries. Prolonged battery operation often involves repeated phase transitions, builds up mechanical stresses, and could provoke thermal spikes. Such sophisticated chemo-th...

An electrolyte system based on a sulfone solvent will be presented, outlining a newly discovered synergy between solvent and salt that simultaneously addresses the interfacial requirements of coupling a graphitic anode with a high voltage spinel cathode (LNMO). At the anode, a LiF-rich interphase generated by early-onset reduction of the salt anion...

An electrolyte system based on a sulfone solvent will be presented, outlining a newly discovered synergy between solvent and salt that simultaneously addresses the interfacial requirements of coupling a graphitic anode with a high voltage spinel cathode (LNMO). At the anode, a LiF-rich interphase generated by early-onset reduction of the salt anion...

Lithium metal batteries have high energy density but suffer from the capacity loss and short cycle life due to the formation of electrochemically inactive Li, which consists of Li + contained in solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and unreacted metallic Li0 . Exactly Li+ or Li0 is dominant to the capacity loss has long been debated due to the challen...

High energy nickel-rich NMC (LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 ; x+y+z≈1, x≥y+z) cathodes offer promising theoretical high capacity cell metrics. As the nickel content increases, the cathode exhibits a decrease in capacity retention, structural stability, and thermal stability. Herein, the thermal stability of chemically delithiated NMC-811 is investigated as a...

The electrochemical performance and mechanistic effects of incorporating two salts in an ether electrolyte in Li-metal cells were investigated experimentally and via molecular scale modeling. Improvements in efficiency and cycling...

Lithium metal is viewed as the ultimate battery anode due to its high theoretical capacity and low electrode potential, but its implementation has been limited by low coulombic efficiency and dendrite formation above a critical current density. Determining the fundamental properties dictating lithium metal plating/stripping behavior is challenging...

Layered LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.18Ti0.02O2 cathode powders were ball-milled for various lengths of time. The structural properties of the pristine and milled powders, which have different particle sizes were examined with X-ray diffraction, soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to determine the effect of milling on struct...

Inactive lithium (Li) formation is the immediate cause of capacity loss and catastrophic failure of Li metal batteries. However, the chemical component and the atomic level structure of inactive Li have rarely been studied due to the lack of effective diagnosis tools to accurately differentiate and quantify Li+ in solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)...

The large voltage hysteresis between charge and discharge results in significant energy loss, which hinders practical application of the high-energy Li-O2 battery. Oxyhalogen-sulfur electrochemistry offers a new hybrid Li-ion/Li-O2 battery, where both Li ions and O anions are reversibly stored in the MoS2 structure. A Li2MoO2S2 compound is formed a...

To enable next-generation high-energy-density lithium (Li)-metal batteries (LMBs), an electrolyte that has simultaneous high Li-metal Coulombic efficiency (CE) and high anodic stability on cathodes is of significant importance. Sulfones are known for strong resistance against oxidation, yet their application in LMBs is restricted because of their p...

Practical implementation of next-generation Li-ion battery chemistries is to a large extent obstructed by the absence of an electrolyte that is capable of simultaneously supporting reversible electrochemical reactions at two extreme electrochemical potentials—above 4.5 V at the positive electrode and near 0 V vs. Li at the negative electrode. Elect...

Lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) have been regarded as a very promising next-generation energy storage system because of the high theoretical specific capacity, the lowest electrochemical potential and the very low gravimetric density of the Li metal anode. Electrolytes that have high Li metal Coulombic efficiency (CE) and high anodic stability...

There is significant effort to enable lithium metal anodes for rechargeable batteries due to its low electrode potential (-3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode) and high theoretical specific capacity (3860 mAhg ⁻¹ ). However, despite nearly a half-century of research efforts, several challenges still exist that prevent widespread adoption, such a...

As one of the landmark technologies, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have reshaped our life in the 21stcentury, but molecular-level understanding about the mechanism underneath this young chemistry is still insufficient. Despite their deceptively simple appearances with just three active components (cathode and anode separated by electrolyte), the actual p...

Lithium metal has been considered as the “holy grail” anode material for rechargeable batteries though the dendritic growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) have crippled its practical use for decades. Its high chemical reactivity and low stability make it difficult to explore the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of the electrochemically...

The performance of many technologies, such as Li- and Na-ion batteries as well as some 2D electronics, is dependent upon the reversibility of stacking-sequence-change phase transformations. However, the mechanisms by which such transformations lead to degradation are not well understood. This study explores lattice-invariant shear as a source of ir...

Li metal is seen as the ultimate anode for LIBs due to its extremely high theoretical energy density (3860 mAh g ⁻¹ ) and low negative redox potential (-3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode). Making Li metal a ubiquitous anode is the key in propelling energy storage and conversion systems. It is one of the key components that will further the dev...

Harnessing the enhanced energy and power metrics offered by “5V-class” lithium-ion electrode chemistries relies on development of more robust electrolytes with expanded voltage and temperature stability windows. As a part of this effort, electrochemists have explored the promise of sulfones, highlighting their oxidative stability (generally >5.0V v...

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) containing silicon (Si) as a negative electrode have gained much attention recently because they deliver high energy density. However, the commercialization of LIBs with Si anode is limited due to the unstable electrochemical performance associated with expansion and contraction during electrochemical cycling. This stud...

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a commonly used coating technique for lithium ion battery electrodes. Recently, it has been applied to sodium ion battery anode materials. ALD is known to improve the cycling performance, coulombic efficiency of batteries, and maintain electrode integrity. Here, the electrochemical performance of uncoated P2-Na2/3Ni...

Large-scale electric energy storage is fundamental to the use of renewable energy. Recently, research and development efforts on room-temperature sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) have been revitalized, as NIBs are considered promising, low-cost alternatives to the current Li-ion battery technology for large-scale applications. Herein, we introduce a nov...

Structural processes occurring upon electrochemical cycling in P2-Nax[LiyNizMn1−y−z]O2 (x, y, z ≤ 1) cathode materials are investigated using 23Na and 7Li solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR). The interpretation of the complex paramagnetic NMR data obtained for various electrochemically-cycled NaxNi1/3Mn2/3O2 and NaxLi0.12Ni0.22Mn0.66O2 s...

Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) as an electrolyte additive can considerably improve the cycling performance of silicon (Si) electrodes in Li-ion batteries. However, the fundamental mechanism for how FEC contributes to solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) morphological changes and chemical composition is not well understood. Here, scanning transmission...

div class="title">Morphological and Chemical Evolution of Silicon Nanocomposite during Cycling - Volume 22 Issue S3 - Mahsa Sina, Judith Alvarado, Hitoshi Shobukawa, Ying Shirley Meng

Silicon (Si) is a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIB) due to its high specific capacity (3579 mAh g ⁻¹ ). However, the large capacity of Si is accompanied by a large volume expansion which causes severe mechanical degradation within the electrode. Ultimately it leads to loss of electrical contact between the active material and...

Silicon is a promising anode candidate in Li-ion batteries with a theoretical capacity more than ten times that of the commercial graphite anodes (372 mAh/g). However, Si electrodes suffer from rapid capacity fade during electrochemical cycling. One of the more successful strategies for dealing with the capacity loss and continuous solid electrolyt...

The high gravimetric capacity of lithiated silicon has motivated research as a potential anode for lithium ion batteries; however, major challenges remain for the implementation of silicon in commercial devices. During the lithiation process, a portion of the Li ions are consumed as the electrolyte is reduced to inactive side products from parasiti...

The worldwide demand to develop electrical energy storage is growing as renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar energy conversion become increasingly prevalent. The large Na abundance, low cost, and suitable redox potential of rechargeable Na-ion batteries (NIBs) indicate its great promise for energy storage applications. Among many ca...

The ECS student chapter at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) represents a myriad group of students across various disciplines and education level that are involved in promoting electrochemistry science and technology. With over 24,000 undergraduate students, 4000 graduate students and 1000 full time faculty, UCSD has a large community...

An ionic liquid (IL) electrolyte with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (EMIFSI) is applied to a silicon (Si) composite anode for Lithium-ion batteries (LIB). Si is one of the most promising anode materials for LIBs and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) has been widely used as an electrolyte additive with Si anodes to enhance electr...

Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) has become a standard electrolyte additive for use with silicon negative electrodes, but how FEC affects solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation on the silicon anode’s surface is still not well understood. Herein, SEI formed from LiPF6-based carbonate electrolytes, with and without FEC were investigated on 50nm \...

Tin sulfide–reduced graphene oxide (SnS2-rGO) composite material is investigated as an advanced anode material for Na-ion batteries. It can deliver a reversible capacity of 630 mAh g–1 with negligible capacity loss and exhibits superb rate performance. Here, the energy storage mechanism of this SnS2-rGO anode and the critical mechanistic role of rG...

Due to their highly reversible capacity, tin-sulfide-based materials have gained attention as potential anodes for sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, the tin sulfide anode performance is much less than that of tin oxides anodes. The aim of the present investigation is to improve the electrochemical performances of SnS anodes for so...

Few tin (Sn)-oxide based anode materials have been found to have large reversible capacity for both sodium (Na)-ion and lithium (Li)-ion batteries. Herein, we report the synthesis and electrochemical properties of Sn oxide-based anodes for sodium-ion batteries: SnO, SnO2, and SnO2/C. Among them, SnO is the most suitable anode for Na-ion batteries w...

This paper describes the use of a genetically tuned neural network platform to optimize the fluorescence realized upon binding 5-carboxyfluorescein-D-Ala-D-Ala-D-Ala (5-FAM-(D-Ala)(3) ) (1) to the antibiotic teicoplanin from Actinoplanes teichomyceticus electrostatically attached to a microfluidic channel originally modified with 3-aminopropyltriet...

A novel strategy for fabrication of sample micro-extraction and preconcentration columns in centrifugal microfluidic platforms based on creating porous polymer monolithic frits by in situ photo-polymerisation is reported here. The frit/column system, which can be highly scaled in centrifugal microfluidics, avoids the need for embedding barrier mate...