Stanley Whittingham
2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
on
"The Origins of the Lithium Battery and Future Challenges / Opportunities"
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 4 p.m. EST
The lecture will be hosted on Zoom. Registration is required.
Register at go.umd.edu/markslecture2020
About the Talk:
Lithium-ion batteries came from an idea in 1972 to dominate electrochemical energy storage today. They are now in a position to enable the large-scale introduction of renewable energy, as well as electrifying transportation, which will leave a cleaner and more sustainable environment for the next generation. There are ample scientific opportunities to further improve the performance and safety. Today’s cells attain only 25% of their theoretical value. However, as the energy density increases, the safety tends to be compromised. Examples will include: the soft TiS2 lattice, the layered oxides, LiMO2, and Li2VOPO4, a proof of concept for a two-electron transfer. These opportunities and the technical challenges that need to be overcome will be described to open up a discussion.
About the Speaker:
M. Stanley Whittingham is a SUNY distinguished professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering at SUNY Binghamton and the 2019 Chemistry Nobel Laureate. He received his B.A. and D.Phil. degrees in chemistry from Oxford University, where he is an honorary Fellow of New College. He has been active in Li-batteries since 1971 when he won the Young Author Award of the Electrochemical Society for his work on the solid electrolyte beta-alumina. In 1972, he joined Exxon’s Corporate Research Laboratory and discovered the role of intercalation in battery reactions, which resulted in the first commercial lithium rechargeable batteries that were built by Exxon Enterprises. In 1988, he returned to academia at SUNY Binghamton to initiate a program in materials chemistry. He initiated a graduate program in Materials Science and Engineering.
He was awarded a JSPS Fellowship in the Physics Department of the University of Tokyo in 1993. From 1993 to 1999, he was vice-provost for research. In 2004, he received the Battery Division Research Award. He is presently director of the NECCES EFRC based at Binghamton. In 2012, he received the Yeager Award of the International Battery Association for his lifetime contributions to battery research; in 2015, he received the Lifetime Contributions to Battery Technology award from NAATBaaT; in 2017, he received the Senior Research Award from Solid State Ionics; and in 2018, was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering and received the Turnbull Award from MRS. He is a Fellow of both the Electrochemical Society and the Materials Research Society. He is vice-chair of the board of directors of the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NYBEST).
About the Lecture:
Tobin J. Marks (B.S. '66, chemistry), Northwestern University's Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, and the Vladimir N. Ipatieff Professor of Catalytic Chemistry, established the Tobin J. Marks Endowed Lectureship in Chemical Discovery at UMD in 2016. The 2017 ACS Priestley Medalist, Marks has distinguished himself as one of the most prolific chemists in the world through his innovative and interdisciplinary research in inorganic, organic and materials chemistry. The lecture is hosted by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.
