Dr. James Utterback, PhD

Lithium ion batteries constitute an integral part of our world, yet the transport of lithium ions within them remains poorly understood—there remain several longstanding, fundamental questions about their transport mechanisms and the relationship between microscopic ion diffusion and emergent device function. Despite its immense importance, there are no demonstrations of direct ion imaging under complex in situ conditions; thus, there is an outstanding need of a technique to observe microscopic migration of ions. I will develop a methodology for directly observing ion transport in both space and time using a novel experimental strategy combined with theoretical efforts. Having a microscopic view of the behavior of ions in batteries will reveal the inner workings of batteries, granting physical insights that will inform the design of future generations of devices.