CAREER: Probing Interfaces in Energy Storage Materials Using Dynamic Impedance Spectroscopy and Multiharmonic Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance Dissipation

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry and partial co-funding from the Chemical Structures, Dynamics, and Mechanisms - B program, and the Solid State Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research, Dr. Niya Sa and her research team at the University of Massachusetts Boston are developing innovative approaches to advancing our understanding of the chemistry of rechargeable batteries.

The work addresses global challenges in the areas of energy storage, utilization, and environmental stewardship. Dr. Sa will work to communicate the underlying science and its importance to the general public through outreach activities that seek to explain the principles of electrochemistry, battery chemistry and green chemistry to K-12 students and members of groups underrepresented in science-technology-engineering-mathematics (STEM).

With this award, Dr. Sa’s team will be implementing the hybrid Dynamic Impedance Spectroscopy/Multiharmonic Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance Dissipation (DEIS EQCM-D) platform to probe complex interfacial systems. Specifically, they seek to improve understanding of the dynamic Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) of energy storage materials - critical for advancing next-generation energy storage devices, yet impeded by the lack of reliable in situ experimental techniques.

The major focus of this work is to enable quantification of the microscopic mass exchange that accounts for SEI dissolution, reconstruction, and instability. Coupling DEIS with EQCM-D offers a significant advance over previously reported ex situ electrochemical impedance (EIS) or gravimetric EQCM measurements. Working at the interface between analytical chemistry and material science, the Sa group seeks to advance fundamental understanding and enable new approaches to energy storage materials and electrolytes where performance characteristics are critically determined by the dynamic ion intercalation and mass transport reactions at interfaces.

Students engaged in the work will be trained in state-of-the-art electroanalytical techniques, energy storage concepts, instrumentation, and simulations. Dr. Sa is working to provide educational opportunities for underrepresented groups, and to engage with the local community through collaboration with the local Science Museum.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.