Opportunity: Designing Lithium-ion Electrolytes for Extreme Conditions

Standard lithium-ion batteries—like the ones in smartphones and electric vehicles—suffer severe performance drops when temperatures plummet. In freezing environments, the liquid electrolyte inside the battery thickens, slowing down the movement of lithium ions and causing rapid power loss. This summer project focuses on developing next-generation battery electrolytes engineered to maintain high conductivity and stability under sub-zero conditions. The intern(s) will learn to use machine learning algorithms to screen and optimize electrolyte compositions. The project will introduce the student(s) to advanced lithium-ion battery concepts, physicochemical measurements, electrochemistry, and design of experiments methodologies.