Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase Consortium

Integrating scientific tools to understand and address challenges in batteries at industry-relevant conditions

Battery research shrouded in purple

PNNL is the lead of the Cathode-Electrode Interphase Consortium.

(Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) leads the Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase (CEI) Consortium designed to focus on studying lithium-ion battery cathode materials and their interfaces in liquid electrolytes at varied length and time scales. The consortium cross-validates new findings or hypotheses across experimental approaches using industry-relevant experimental conditions.

The consortium is supported by the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office. It consists of ten national laboratories—PNNL, Argonne, Brookhaven, Idaho, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge national laboratories; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Sandia National Laboratories, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

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The consortium has three focused groups working on three specific areas, such as model cathode materials like single crystal LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 , stable electrolytes and characterization/modeling, by integrating different expertise and scientific tools and facilities.

University Partners

Each national laboratory is collaborating with at least one university partner representing minority-serving institutions.

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Image: Shannon Colson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

News and Events

  • The CEI Consortium kickoff meeting was held January 12, 2023. 
  • Quarterly review meeting, Seattle, Washington, April 6, 2023.

Director

Smiling womn in blue jacket

Dr. Jie Xiao is a Battelle Fellow and Technical Manager for Battery Research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Dr. Xiao’s research interest spans from materials synthesis, electrochemical catalysis/kinetics to advanced characterizations with the goal to understand the synthesis-structure-performance relationship in energy-related materials and their underlying reaction mechanisms. Of particular interest is the identification of new materials and novel technologies for energy storage and conversion. Dr. Xiao also leads several major efforts for DOE in the areas of materials synthesis, scaleup, manufacturing of electrode architecture, and cell design and fabrication for various applications. Learn more.

Contactjie.xiao@pnnl.gov