Preliminary Defense – Kaylie McCracken
About the event
Group: Dr. Jeff Bell
Title: Enhanced Aqueous Zinc-Redox Batteries Through a Synergistic Approach Utilizing Indium-tin Oxide and Magnetic Fields
Abstract: Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have been promoted as a possible alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale energy storage applications. However, their commercial implementation has been limited due to low specific capacities and poor cycling performance because of sluggish electrode kinetics and unmitigated Zn dendrite growth. In this proposal, we suggest a fundamental approach to electrode material development for use in aqueous Zn-redox batteries paired with magnetic field effects to regulate redox behaviors. In aim 1, we will demonstrate the ability to activate flexible and commercially available indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes both electrochemically and magnetoelectrochemically to improve their electrocatalytic performance, direct morphology of electrodeposited materials, and understand the redox behaviors of halide electrolytes. In the second aim, we will use ITO-doped graphite as an electrode material to study the oxidation behaviors of halide species in the presence of magnetic fields. In aim 3, we will incorporate optimized ITO-doped graphite electrodes into Zn-redox batteries as the cathode to improve battery performance at low mass loadings of electrocatalytic materials in the presence of internal magnetic fields. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that by pairing ITO materials with magnetic fields, the performance of aqueous Zn-redox batteries can be improved through the inhibition of ITO passivation and zinc dendrite formation.