Hello everyone,

This week was the first full week, and a lot of it was spent reading more on the topic of lithium-ion batteries. There is a lot of interesting information that gives me insight into how the batteries of devices and vehicles that I use every day work. Fun fact: LIBs are the batteries of choice because they have the highest capacity with the least drawback. For example, unlike older batteries, LIBs would not get used to a charging cycle. That is where the battery life decreases when you charge it before being empty. Therefore, researching ways to make them more efficient while using less materials and space will be great for the environment.

I did finally start working in the lab. It is extremely exciting but I have to control my excitement and work slowly until I figure things out. So far, I have mixed the cathode active material and spread it on a piece of aluminum foil. This lab does require a lot of patience,  however. Once the material is fully mixed and on the foil, I have to let it air dry in a fume hood for a day, and then move it to an oven for a day. I was not expecting such a slow process but it is important to have the material completely dry before calendaring it. Calendaring is just simply compressing down the material to a certain thickness, and I am currently starting with 60 μm because thinner cathodes are easier to work with. Therefore until I get good practice building batteries with thin cathodes, I will move up to thicker cathodes. The next step after calendaring would be to cut the active material into the right size and take measurements of its weight and resistance. Then finally, the assembly would take place inside of the glove box.

Outside of the lab, we had OURI meetings on Tuesday and Thursday. They were very informative and helpful in developing our research skills and working with mentors. I was also eating very good food this week both in the cafe that is in the O’Conner building and the Seibel servery. My work-life balance has also been good since I still find time to go out with family and friends, as well as get my daily workouts without any stress. I also found out this week that I have won first place the Student Research Award from the LSC-CyFair library! This was awarded to me based on my first ever research project I have done in the Fall.

I hope that next week can be as exciting and educational as this week.