Professors Dan Steingart and Lauren Marbella collaborated to lead a team that could greatly improve battery performance and more.

The Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center (CEEC) recently earned a five-year $62.5 million grant from the US Department of Energy as part of a team led by Argonne National Laboratory. The CEEC aims to foster industry-academia collaborations by transitioning to large-scale electrochemical energy storage, which is often related to batteries. This grant is through the Energy Storage Research Alliance (ESRA), a team of almost 50 researchers from 12 universities aiming to combat battery challenges. 

Columbia Engineering Professors Dan Steingart and Lauren Marbella, along with 2 colleagues from MIT are leading one-third of ESRA to create a new class of electrolytes that will allow for batteries to be made from non-limited resources. By advancing the understanding of ion dynamics–how ions behave within a battery– the team aims to create batteries that charge faster over a broad range of temperatures. If successful, the new batteries could have great applications, such as extremely rapid charging rates.

According to Columbia Engineering, “ESRA’s primary aim is to push the boundaries of energy storage science to drive technological innovation and strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness.”  With applications like these, Columbia could be at the forefront of creating a new generation of battery performance.

Gold Ion Collision via Flickr