Electrochemistry for Energy Storage and Information Processing

Welcome

We reside in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. Our research combines the synthetic power of materials chemistry with the nanoscale precision of microelectronics, targeted towards the two grand challenges of energy storage and computing. We aim to develop fundamental mechanistic insights and rational design rules for improved devices. We practice hypothesis-based scientific inquiry combining observation, hypothesis, and experimental validation. Our research furthermore places a strong focus on statistics and data-driven experimental approaches. We foster an open, inclusive, and supportive environment where all students can thrive, and welcome students of all majors, educational experience, and backgrounds.

Please click through this site to learn more about our work. We are always interested in new undergraduate and graduate students who would like to work with us. Students at the University of Michigan can reach out to Yiyang by email at any time.

Information about applying for a MS or PhD at the University of Michigan, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, can be found on this website: https://mse.engin.umich.edu/graduate/admissions. Prospective applicants are welcome to email Yiyang before or after they apply, but the admissions committee makes the admissions decisions, not individual faculty in the MSE department. This policy may be different at other universities and even other departments at the University of Michigan.

We are interested in working with former members of a US Service Branch at any educational level (community college, undergraduate, or graduate) from any institution, during the school year or during summer breaks. These students can directly email Yiyang.

Email: yiyangli@umich.edu

News

Li+ Group Joins Energy Storage Reserach Alliance (ESRA) (3-September-2024)

The Li+ group joins the Energy Storage Research Alliance, a US Department of Energy, Energy Innovation Hub led by Argonne National Laboratories. We will study zinc anodes and sodium solid electrolytes as part of this hub. Michigan press release.

Jingxian Li completes PhD (16-September-2024)

Jingxian Li is the first student to complete a PhD in the Li+ group. His thesis is titled "Thermodynamic Principles and Engineering of Resistive Memory." Jingxian will be joining Los Alamos National Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow.

Jinhong Min wins Rackham Predoctoral Award (25-March-2024)

Jinhong Min wins the prestigious Rackham Predoctoral Award for research that is unusually creative, ambitious, and impactful. Department press release.

(more news)

Research Project Summary

All of our research projects relate to the overlap between microelectronics and batteries, two of the most important technologies of modern society. We believe that much can be learned by cross-pollinating ideas and concepts from one field onto the other.

Oxygen Transport in Resistive Switching

Redox random-access memory (ReRAM) is a promising memory technology for information storage, including for extreme environments including high temperatures and high radiation. Unlike conventional electronic memory like Flash that stores information using electrons in energy traps in Si-based materials, ReRAM stores information using oxygen vacancy ions within transition metal oxides; these vacancies have very different transport properties than electrons. Our research aims to understand oxygen vacancies in ReRAM moves under concentration, electric field, and thermal driving forces. Understanding this oxygen vacancy migration in different materials is crucial towards understanding and improving resistive memories.

Electrochemical random-access memory

We believe that the atom is the highest density information storage element. With over 106 atoms in a small (30-nm)3 volume, we anticipate that the ability to dynamically control the number of atomic point defects in materials can be used to achieve truly analog memory.

We developed the electrochemical random-access memory cell that will enable precise control of atoms in a memory device. By harnessing the ability to move atomic point defect in a device, we can develop truly nonvolatile analog memory.

Variability in Li-ion batteries

Li-ion batteries are made from micron-sized, redox-active particles in porous electrodes. However, while it is easy to measure differences in their size or morphology, it has not been possible to measure differences in electrochemical properties like lithium diffusion and interfacial reactivity.

To answer this question, we will quantify the electrochemical properties of individual battery particles, and correlate these properties with structural and compositional features. This research aims to determine how the composition and the microstructure of battery particles ultimately affect their electrochemical properties.

People