IUCRC Phase I: Northeastern University: Center for Solid-State Electric Power Storage (CEPS)

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

The NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Solid-State Electric Power Storage (CEPS) is comprised of three university sites: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SD Mines) as the lead university and partner universities: Northeastern University (NU) and Syracuse University (SU). CEPS is established to provide integration between academia and industry in the pursuit of research focused energy storage innovations. The Center enables industries, government, and national laboratories to meet the challenges of safe, efficient, and environmentally-friendly energy storage by adopting critical solid-state energy systems and enabling translation into industrial use driven by upstream basic research. As a multi-disciplinary collaborative consortium, CEPS will acquire long-term sustainability through strong support from stakeholders and leveraging partnerships at the state and national level. CEPS's intellectual merit is in addressing significant challenges in energy storage. The Center seeks to create and provide U.S. leadership in energy storage research closely linked to green technologies and environmental sustainability. The Northeastern University (NU) Site brings to CEPS unique capabilities of (a) in situ and operando spectroscopy using synchrotron X-ray facilities and methods for investigating mechanisms at solid-state interfaces; (b) materials processing and composites for solid-state chemistries that are of interest to CEPS industry partners, e.g., lithium metal anodes and sulfur-based electrolytes; (c) computational research in molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo approaches probing the interfacial aspects of lithium-ion intercalation, and (d) design of power management systems that consider heterogeneous energy storage solutions with varied chemistries within the ambit of solid-state interfaces to meet the desired energy and power density with requisite lifetimes. These capabilities of CEPS will be used to develop and commercialize safe and reliable solid-state battery technologies. CEPS seeks to cultivate an inclusive learning environment where all faculty, staff, and students can grow and succeed. 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.