The development of high-resolution optical microscopies

This characterisation project is exploring the use of high-resolution optical microscopies for studying battery systems. Building upon recent breakthroughs in characterisation methods developed for semiconducting materials, the project aims to provide a greater understanding of how electrode materials function at the single particle level and at shorter timescales than is currently available.

Understanding the mechanisms by which and the rates that lithium ions move in battery electrode materials is vital to developing high-rate battery materials with reduced capacity fade.

The team seeks to develop methods that can tackle crucial questions such as: how fast do the lithium-ions move, do electrodes transform via two or single-phase reactions, are electron and ion transport correlated, and what are the obstacles for transport caused by grain boundaries, defects, coatings? These world-leading methods will open a new window for the community to investigate these materials and provide the fundamental science underpinning the next generation of high-performance materials.