End of (3rd) Month Progress Report - PhD Committee

Abstract

For the months of (May-August), the focus has been to: ● Comply and attend all mandatory LLNL training(s). ● Practice & gain experience, using a 3D printer for direct-ink writing application. ● Construct & Test Cu-Si anodes for battery application: - Si nanoparticles (<100 nm) is alloyed within a Cu-based current collector, via direct-ink writing. - Tuning the overall architecture of the current collector (to accommodate the volume expansion of Si more efficiently/ stabilize its kinetics - of active Si loss). - Based on the following designed configurations: tape-casted, 2D (spiral-square), and 3D (spiral-square/ zig-zag) structures; utilizing commercial-based Cu paste. - Fabricated (half-cell) coin-cells are currently cycling long-term. ● Synthesize new Cu-Si paste, to further tune the rheology properties, for further comparison with commercial Cu-based paste.