Press Releases

 

Scientists discover new electrolyte for solid-state lithium-ion batteries
February 14, 2022
New battery material offers promise for the development of all-solid batteries.
Argonne-related spinoff company charges up the battery world
December 7, 2021
JCESR startup Sepion Technologies encountering success.
Researchers use AI to optimize several flow battery properties simultaneously
November 23, 2021
Scientists seek stable, high-energy batteries designed for the electric grid.
Designing Selective Membranes for Batteries Using a Drug Discovery Toolbox
April 7, 2021
By binding specific ions in specially designed cages within its pores, a new membrane could enable more efficient flows in energy storage devices.
Reshaping the future of the electric grid through low-cost, long-duration discharge batteries
March 17, 2021
Research begun at the Department of Energy’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research and continued at spinoff company Form Energy may launch a new era of renewable energy.
A glowing new prospect for self-reporting batteries
February 2, 2021
Monitoring the health of flow batteries in real-time is a challenge. JCESR researchers have designed a fluorescent molecule for the purpose.
The Continuing Quest to Find a Better Battery
December 14, 2020
An eight-year hunt for new battery chemistries.

JCESR Lays Foundation for Safer, Longer-lasting Batteries
June 3, 2020
JCESR has made significant strides with solid-state batteries as successors to today’s Li-ion batteries, including work on speeding up the motion of lithium ions in solid-state batteries using the paddlewheel effect.

Crystal power
May 4, 2020
Studies with single-crystal electrodes can speed up design of new battery systems.
Army Scientists Look Inside Batteries with a Molecular Eye
February 6, 2020
Scientists are closer to understanding exactly what happens inside batteries that make them prone to fire, thanks to a molecular eye of sorts.
Scientists Learn More about the First Hours of a Lithium-ion Battery’s Life
February 5, 2020
New technology enables nanoscale molecular view of self-assembling gateway structure within
UK Joins U.S. Department of Energy Battery Research Partnership
November 19, 2018
The University of Kentucky has been named a JCESR partner. This will allow Susan Odom, the principal investigator of the UK project, to hire two postdoctoral scholars to study solvation of organic redox couples in complex environments, which are relevant to numerous energy storage technologies, including redox flow batteries — a technology of interest for large-scale grid storage.
Cheng Wins Midwest Energy News’ 40 Under 40 Award
September 20, 2018
Lei Cheng, an assistant chemist in the Materials Science division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, has received a Midwest Energy News 40 Under 40 Award. These awards recognize 40 emerging leaders in the Midwest for their contributions to the nation’s transition to a clean energy economy.
JCESR Renewed for Another Five Years
September 18, 2018
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced its decision to renew the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub led by Argonne National Laboratory and focused on advancing battery science and technology. The announcement was made by DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar at the InnovationXLab Energy Storage Summit.
JCESR Receives Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award
August 29, 2018
The U.S. Secretary of Energy’s office has awarded the Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award to the Scientific and Operational Leadership team for the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR). Twenty-nine individuals across multiple JCESR institutions were named as recipients of the award. The Department of Energy (DOE) bestows this award upon DOE employees or contractors who attain significant achievements on behalf of the Department.
Chemists Make Breakthrough on Road to Creating a Rechargeable Lithium-oxygen Battery
August 23, 2018
As reported in Science, chemists from the University of Waterloo have successfully resolved two of the most challenging issues surrounding lithium-oxygen batteries, and in the process created a working battery with near 100 percent coulombic efficiency.
Out of Thin Air
March 21, 2018
As reported in the journal Nature, a team of scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Argonne has produced a new design for a lithium-air battery cell that operates by running on air over many charge and discharge cycles.
Texas A&M-Led Team Doubles Down on Energy Storage with Novel Metal-Oxide Magnesium Battery
February 1, 2018
A multi-institution team of scientists led by Texas A&M University has discovered an exceptional metal-oxide magnesium battery cathode material, moving researchers one step closer to delivering batteries with better performance.
Coupling Experiments to Theory to Build a Better Battery
January 18, 2018
A Berkeley Lab-led team of JCESR researchers has reported that a new lithium-sulfur battery component allows a doubling in capacity compared to a conventional lithium-sulfur battery, even after more than 100 charge cycles.
“Holy Grail” for Batteries: Solid-State Magnesium Battery a Big Step Closer
November 28, 2017
A team of JCESR scientists has discovered the fastest magnesium-ion solid-state conductor, a major step towards making solid-state magnesium-ion batteries that are both energy dense and safe.
October 19, 2017
A research team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, led by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has discovered a surprising set of chemical reactions involving magnesium that degrade battery performance even before the battery can be charged up.
February 21, 2017
Chemists at University of Utah and University of Michigan use a predictive model to develop a charge-storing molecule around 1,000 times more stable than current compounds, as reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
December 22, 2016
Argonne National Laboratory has named renowned battery scientist Venkat Srinivasan the next director of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), a center which seeks to commercialize battery and energy storage technologies. Srinivasan will continue in his role as JCESR Deputy Director.
Massive Trove of Battery and Molecule Data Released to Public
June 8, 2016
Through the Materials Project, a Google-like database of material properties aimed at accelerating innovation, JCESR scientists at Berkeley Lab have released an enormous trove of data to the public, giving scientists working on batteries and a host of other advanced materials a powerful tool to explore new research avenues.
Cleaning up Hybrid Battery Electrodes Improves Capacity and Lifespan
April 21, 2016
JCESR scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory discover a new way of building supercapacitor-battery electrodes that eliminates interference from inactive components.
New Hybrid Electrolyte for Solid-State Lithium Batteries
December 21, 2015
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a novel electrolyte for use in solid-state lithium batteries that overcomes many of the problems that plague other solid electrolytes while also showing signs of being compatible with next-generation cathodes.
U-M Opens World-Class Battery Research Lab
October 2, 2015
University of Michigan’s new Battery Lab further expands the Midwest’s rapidly growing battery research and manufacturing capabilities. It will serve as a base for U-M R&D efforts as a partner in the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research.
Argonne and MSU Partner to Create Energy Storage Technology Solutions
August 13, 2015
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Mississippi State University (MSU) are collaborating to develop new technologies that address next-generation energy storage challenges.
August MSU Symposium to Highlight Future of Energy Storage
July 15, 2015
Mississippi State University and JCESR are sponsoring an Aug. 12 and 13 symposium at the new Mill at MSU Conference Center on Russell Street in Starkville. Speakers and panelists will be examining energy storage opportunities that could help local utilities and agricultural operations while improving resiliency to natural disasters.
Study Finds a Way to Prevent Fires in Next-Generation Lithium Batteries
June 17, 2015
In a study that could improve the safety of next-generation batteries, JCESR researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory discovered that adding two chemicals to the electrolyte of a lithium metal battery prevents the formation of dendrites – “fingers” of lithium that pierce the barrier between the battery’s halves, causing it to short out, overheat and sometimes burst into flame.
Beyond the Lithium Ion – a Significant Step toward a Better Performing Battery
April 17, 2015
As described in the journal Advanced Materials, JCESR researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology used in electric cars such as the Chevy Volt.
Erupting Electrodes: How Recharging Leaves Behind Microscopic Debris Inside Batteries
April 9, 2015
Using a powerful microscope to watch multiple cycles of charging and discharging under real battery conditions, PNNL researchers have gained insight into the chemistry that clogs rechargeable lithium batteries. The work, appearing in the March issue of the journal Nano Letters, will help researchers design cheaper and more powerful rechargeable batteries.
Dendrite Eraser: New Electrolyte Rids Batteries of Short-Circuiting Fibers
February 24, 2015
As described in Nature Communications, PNNL physicist Jason Zhang and his colleagues have developed a new electrolyte that allows lithium-sulfur, lithium-metal and lithium-air batteries to operate at 99 percent efficiency, while having a high current density and without growing dendrites that short-circuit rechargeable batteries.
Leading Experts to Speak at Battery & Energy Storage Technology Conference
October 29, 2014
Speakers from US Department of Energy, academia and industry to meet November 5th in Buffalo, NY
Berkeley Lab Study Reveals Molecular Structure of Water at Gold Electrodes
October 23, 2014
Researchers at Berkeley have observed the molecular structure of liquid water at a gold surface under different charging conditions.
DOE Secretary Helps Usher in New Era of Energy Research at Berkeley Lab
October 23, 2014
A new building will be the home to lab’s energy storage efforts.
Dispelling a Misconception About Mg-Ion Batteries
October 16, 2014
Supercomputer simulations at Berkeley Lab provide a path to better designs.
JCESR and NASA Team Up
March 19, 2014
The DOE Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) and NASA Glenn Research Center are collaborating to develop next generation batteries for use in future space missions.
Batteries as They are Meant to be Seen
December 26, 2013
In search for long-lasting, inexpensive rechargeable batteries, JCESR researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory develop more realistic methods to study the materials in action.

 

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