EIRES Lunch Lecture

Topic

Lithium Transport in Epitaxial 2D and 3D Thin Films for Solid-State Microbatteries

Speaker

Mark Huijben | University of Twente

Organized by

Adriana Creatore

Introduction

Miniaturization of energy storage devices to the microscale is a critical challenge for integration in advanced wireless and autonomous applications, i.e. communication, health, entertainment, environmental and security monitoring. Current microbattery devices exhibit limited performance and significant degradation during extensive cycling. A huge improvement is required to realize wide scale future application for an interconnected society. The grand challenges for enhanced battery technology are focused on energy capacity, charging rate, safety, cycle life and material availability. The present showstopper for next generation batteries is the poor reversibility leading to a short battery lifetime. The interfaces between the electrodes and the electrolyte are key to these problems, as this is where the redox chemistry occurs that drives the reversible energy storage. Full reversibility involves fast and reversible electron and ion transfer and transport, as well as chemical and structural transformations. However, parasitic reactions and unfavourable structural (re)arrangements challenge this reversibility, and are at the origin of poor performance and eventually battery failure.

Thin film epitaxial microbattery architectures enable full control over the material combination, crystal orientation and elemental termination at all interfaces to explore their evolution during battery operation. Controlled interfaces between electrolyte, cathode and anode have been realized in 2D-planar and 3D-vertical thin film geometries by applying pulsed laser deposition. Epitaxial engineering is used to realize crystalline thin film model systems, which enables an unique insight into the relation between electrochemistry and structural ordering of the layers and interfaces, not obtainable in conventional polycrystalline battery architectures. Here, I will show our latest results on several different thin film battery architectures, 2D as well as 3D, involving various different cathodes (LiMn₂O₄, LiCoO₂, NMC811), anodes (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, Nb₁₈W₁₆O₉₃, NiNb₂O₆) and solid electrolytes (Li_0.33La_0.57TiO₃, Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂).

About the speaker

Mark Huijben is Full Professor and head of the ‘Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage’ group at the University of Twente, which is part of the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology and the Battery Centre Twente. His research is focused on the study of novel nanostructured thin films with special structural and advanced functional properties at the incorporated interfaces. His aim is to develop new materials towards improved energy applications, such as next-generation batteries and thermoelectric energy generators.

He started studying interface engineering for oxide electronics during his MSc and PhD (2006) at the University of Twente with a stay at Stanford University (USA). During his postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley (USA), his research was broadened to the field of multiferroic applications with magnetic and electrical interactions at the interfaces. In 2009 he started his research group at the University of Twente as Assistant Professor. At the same time, he became program director of the strategic research direction 'Nanomaterials for Energy' within the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology in order to expand the expertise in nano-related energy research.

In these positions, Mark Huijben was successful in obtaining financial support (e.g. EU FP7 projects and personal VENI grant (2010)) in the field of thermoelectrics, photovoltaics and artificial photosynthesis, where high-performance oxide interfaces are crucial. In 2013 I became Associate Professor and shifted the focus to next-generation batteries, for which he received the personal VIDI grant (2014) and several other funded projects (e.g. Perspectief, ECHO). Furthermore, since 2018 he has been appointed as guest scientist within the IEK-1 Electrochemical Storage Department of Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany). Since January 2022 Huijben is Full Professor with a young and enthusiastic research team in studying innovative nanomaterials for realizing enhanced energy conversion and storage applications. Current research projects are part of large national research programs (e.g. BatteryNL, NXTGEN Hightech) as well as personal VICI grant (2023). He has a leading role in the Battery Centre Twente strengthening the battery research at the University of Twente and the Netherlands in general.

Target audience

EIRES Lunch lectures are open for anyone interested in the latest developments in energy storage and conversion. Different keynote speakers from academia and industry will present their views, solutions and outlooks on the topic. The lectures leave plenty of room for discussion. We value your input. Looking forward meeting you!