Surface engineering of high energy density cathodes for batteries by atomic layer deposition

Growing climate change concerns increasingly drive both public and scientific interest towards the development of alternative energy technologies that can enable a reduction of carbon emissions. A common example of this is the continuously growing electric and hybrid electric vehicle market. One of the main inhibiting factors for the widespread use of these vehicles is the limited energy and power densities of the batteries used to power them. The introduction of cathode materials that have both intrinsically higher capacities as well as higher operating potentials can help increase these metrics and further popularize EV technology. However, to allow the deployment of such cathodes, several issues need to be addressed. A main concern with these materials is the electrolyte decomposition that occurs at the cathode surface, decreasing the electrode performance. Artificial interface engineering is a promising strategy to address this problem. This interface engineering often takes the form of coating the cathode with another material.

In this master thesis, the student will work on the development of ALD coatings on high voltage cathodes. The student will be developing different ALD processes and studying the nano-engineered interface on high voltage cathodes with techniques such as quartz crystal microbalance, FT-IR, Raman, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge discharge, among others. Some prior knowledge in electrochemistry can be helpful, as most of the characterization techniques involved rely on the use of 3-electrode cell measurements.