Artificial Interface Coatings for Next generation High-Energy Li-ion batteries

Advances in energy storage are required to transition to green energy production.  One major bottleneck in the development of new batteries is the integration of highly reactive components.  New generation active cathode materials such as, for example, NMC and LMNO, operate at higher potentials than existing commercial batteries. However, the electrolytes typically used in batteries are not stable at these high voltages. Therefore, the conductive components need to be shielded from the electrolyte. Furthermore, the active materials themselves are often not stable when stored and during the processing. As a solution to this problem, we are developing thin-film protective coatings to coat the active materials and the conductive components in the electrodes. These films need to be very thin in order not to block the current and yet elastic enough to withstand the volume changes during battery operations. In this PhD you will explore thin film deposition techniques to apply protective coatings inside the electrodes and on current collectors. The processing used to apply the films must also not degrade the components. You will also characterize the functionality of the coatings and measure the ionic and electronic as well as electrochemica properties. 

The Ph.D. candidate in this project will focus on developing and characterizing new deposition techniques for coating battery components with a variety of materials.  The candidate will gain working knowledge of atomic layer deposition, sputtering, thermal evaporation, electrochemical characterization, thin film metrology, and gain cutting edge knowledge on the future generations of battery technologies.  At imec you will collaborate with other Ph.D. students, researchers, scientific directors, and institutions to succeed in your projects.