Polymer Electrolyte in the Battery Cathode: Fabrication, Performance, and Challenges
 

Abstract

Solid-state batteries represent a key technology for expediting the electrification of the economy. Several major classes of solid-state electrolytes are under development, including polymers, oxide ceramics, sulfides, and halides. One of the biggest roadblocks to the commercialization of solid-state batteries is their cathode. In a traditional lithium-ion battery cathode, the active particles are bound together by a binder and soaked in the liquid electrolyte. In a solid-state battery, charge transfer in and out of the cathode is challenged by the solid-solid interface between the solid electrolyte and the cathode active particles. In this presentation, I will discuss the fabrication and characterization of polymer-based, solid-state cathode. I will examine capacity fade mechanisms and charge transfer rate inside the cathode. Key bottleneck that is limiting the rate capability of polymer based SSBs will be revealed by examining the structure and segmental dynamics of polymer electrolyte within the cathode. Design strategies for improving performance will be discussed.
 

Biography

Chelsea Chen, R&D Staff and Polymer Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has extensive experience in polymers, composites, interfaces, electron microscopy, and neutron/X-ray scattering. She leads programs in solid state batteries and polymer/composite electrolytes at ORNL. She earned her PhD in 2011 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and pursued postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She worked as a senior chemist at Dow Electronic Materials before joining ORNL in 2017. Chen has 70 peer-reviewed publications and 2 issued patent, and she received the 2022 American Chemical Society PMSE Division’s Young Investigator Award.