Chemo-Mechanics of Nano-Architected Electrodes

Overview

This research project aims to develop the necessary numerical tools for modeling the electro-chemical performance of nano-architected electrodes, including their performance when undergoing elastic instabilities such as buckling. Our fully-coupled diffusion-deformation theory — and numerical implementation —  is used to predict the electrochemical performance of a given nano-architecture as well as predict its mechanical performance and resilience during lithiation.

The first stage of this project focused on an octet lattice developed at the Greer Group (gallery below). Using our numerical tools we investigated the mechanical performance of these electrodes in order to assess their ability to withstand mechanical degradation due to lithiation.

Second, we collaborated on the development of nano-architected electrodes which buckle. In Xia (Nature, 2019), the team demonstrates the first electrochemically reconfigurable nano-architected metamaterial. The image below highlights how a buckling electrode can have improved electrochemical performance through its ability to release stress by buckling.

Publications

Xia, X., Afshar, A., Yang, H., Portela, C.M., Kochmann, D.M., Di Leo, C.V., Greer, J.R. Electrochemically reconfigurable architected materials. Nature, 573, 2019. [html]

Xia, X., Di Leo, C.V., Gu, X.W., Greer, J.R., (2016). In Situ Lithiation-Delithiation of Mechanically Robust Cu-Si Core-Shell Nanolattices in a Scanning Electron Microscopte. ACS Energy Letters, 1(3), 492.499. [html]

Media

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