Liu Research Group

Summer Big BBQ Party was holding by SHIJIE FENG! Delicious LOBUSTER SOURCE was cooked by Chef SICENG YU!   The Liu Group’s Professional Chefs http://liugroup.ucsd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_7240.mov Working Hard and Playing Hard http://liugroup.ucsd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_7250.movhttp://liugroup.ucsd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_7241.mov We like to enjoy some beatiful sc…

New research on electrolyte solvation provides insights for developing lithium metal batteries that perform well at ultra-low temperatures. The researchers found that the local solvation structure of the electrolyte defines the charge-transfer behaviour at ultra-low temperature, which is crucial for achieving high Li metal Coulombic efficiency and avoiding dendritic growth. Read more in the press…

New paper on Vanadium oxide anode published in Nature! Led by post-doc Haodong Liu in collaboration with Prof. Ong’s group, this new anode material discovery leads to faster charging and safer Li ion batteries. Using Li3V2O5 as an anode material allows for a higher voltage of 0.6V against Li (vs 0.1V for traditional graphite) which […]

New paper on Li Metal Batteries Capable of Ultra-Low-Temperature Operation Improving the energy output of batteries at sub-zero temperatures is crucial to the long-term application of advanced electronics in extreme environments. This work demonstrates a system that employs high-voltage cathodes, applies Li metal anodes, and improves the electrolyte chemistry to provide facile kinetics at ultra-l…

In this paper, a free-standing, ultra-thin solid electrolyte incorporated with an organic polymer matrix (SEPM) was successfully synthesized. The polysulfide in the SEPM triggers the in-situ polymerization of ethylene sulfide and the formation of Li3PS4, enabling promising cycling performance and low electrolyte loading. Read more here: DOI 10.1021/acsenergylett.0c00040

A collaboration with Prof. Friend’s group in MAE at UCSD has led to a new technology allowing fast charging and high energy lithium metal batteries (LMBs). The device emits ultrasound waves to create a circulating current in the electrolyte to prevent dendrite formation and enable 250 cycles on LMBs and more than 2000 cycles on […]

In this paper, a novel separator design and approach is introduced to provide a “fail-safe” mechanism for an internal short circuit by limiting the self-discharge current to prevent cell temperature rise. A nano-composite Janus separator — with a fully electronically insulating side contacting the anode and a partially electronically conductive (PEC) coating with tunable conductivity […]