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These days, we are surrounded by portable gadgets that run on lithium batteries. These batteries create a stream of electrons―aka electricity―that runs through the gadget by virtue of electrons' heated attraction to lithium. But lithium, a small, positively charged ion, is expensive. Materials scientist Vijay Murugesan is thinking beyond lithium in work funded by JCESR, an energy storage research effort between six national laboratories and 10 universities. That kind of thinking poses challenges: Cheaper elements like sodium or potassium could attract electrons, but they are bigger than lithium and would clog conventional battery materials. Another option would be to use atoms like magnesium or zinc, which are capable of attracting two electrons at a time.

"We can even think beyond that and go for three electrons, like aluminum," said Murugesan. "Obviously the challenges with the materials grow exponentially as we go higher."

Another kind of battery he is exploring is the vanadium redox flow battery, a large, stationary battery capable of tapping into the electrical grid. Vanadium can exist in various states, attracting between one and three electrons. This means it can serve in both the positive and negative electrodes, an advantage in preventing contamination between the two over many recharges. To understand how new materials perform, Murugesan innovates methodologies and tools that will help us see the battery materials in action using analytical techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (also known as XPS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (also known as NMR).

Having spent 15 years developing and mastering a technique called multimodal spectroscopy, Murugesan was recognized as a "next generation leader" by JCESR. His research papers have been cited by other researchers almost 8,000 times.

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