Pushing past lithium-ion performance limits
Dr. Jorge Seminario is working to develop next-generation battery materials and technologies that could deliver safer and more efficient energy storage.
A growing demand for energy storage is pushing lithium-ion batteries to their limits by advancing next-generation technologies through innovative materials research.
In a recent international review paper published in Nature, chemical engineering researcher Dr. Jorge Seminario addresses these challenges by controlling processes at the atomic and molecular scale inside lithium metal batteries (LMBs).
By advancing electric mobility and energy storage, this work can help enable faster charging electronics and improve how we store renewable energy from sources such as solar and wind power.
Seminario believes that by enabling batteries that are both higher energy and longer lasting, lithium metal technology could accelerate the transition to clean transportation and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
“The overarching goal is to enable practical lithium metal batteries by designing advanced electrolyte solutions that achieve efficient and stable lithium deposition and removal,” Seminario said.
His own contributions include both theoretical and computational modeling of electrolyte and interfacial processes. This represents sustained work over many years aimed at understanding battery behavior from the foundation.
Battery performance is governed by nanoscale processes in the electrolyte, which is the molecular structure that determines how lithium ions move and react.
The formation of a stable molecular structure is essential for preventing degradation and failure. The research shows that controlling matter at the nanometer scale tailors how ions move through the electrolyte.
Carefully designed battery materials can improve both performance and safety by guiding how lithium is stored and preventing the buildup of needle-like structures — called dendrites — that can damage batteries and create safety risks. This approach can also help batteries last longer.
This study was produced through international collaboration between the United States and Germany, involving both experimental and theoretical researchers from multiple universities and national labs.
This interdisciplinary effort enables experimental validation of theory, integration of simulations with real systems and faster progress toward practical technologies, Seminario said.
“Perhaps most importantly, the study emphasizes that no single property is sufficient, and work highlights how fundamental science, combined with international collaboration and advanced computational tools, can drive breakthroughs to a sustainable future,” he said.
