This is a past event.

in 3-D Microstructural Networks found in Energy Materials

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series

proudly presents:

Dr. Alex Cocco
United States Army Research Lab

Abstract: Electrochemical energy materials are those used in electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies, such as batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical capacitors. Their development is complicated by the fact that they must simultaneously satisfy a diverse set of design criteria, which in turn depend on multiple, interacting physical processes occurring across multiple length and time scales. An energy material's microstructure adds to its complexity: in addition to occurring across multiple length and time scales, the physical processes that determine its performance also occur within a geometrically complex, often 3-D, domain. In this work, we consider energy material microstructures comprised of interwoven, 3-D networks and propose a heuristic, fully analytical model—the Analytical Transport Network (ATN) Model—that explicitly relates the morphology and topology of a given network's channels to its effective transport coefficient and, in an approximate manner, its electrochemical activity. By choosing a heuristic and analytical (as opposed to a numerical) modeling approach, we prioritize mathematical expediency, computational economy, and ease-of-use in the model's development. Thus, the ATN model is intended to accelerate, and thus reduce the cost associated with, early-stage characterization and design of next generation energy materials. This talk will present the ATN model, compare its predictions to those from existing techniques as well as to experimental measurements, and discuss how it can potentially be extended to elucidate the influence of channel morphology and topology on multi-component and transient flow.

Bio: Dr. Cocco is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Electrochemistry Branch of the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate at the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Currently, he is developing heuristic, analytical approaches for modeling transport phenomena in 3-D material microstructures, e.g., In battery or fuel cell electrode materials, with the goal of accelerating, and thus reducing the cost associated with, early-stage characterization and design of next generation energy materials. Dr. Cocco's work at ARL builds upon modeling approaches that he developed as a graduate student at the University of Connecticut where in 2016 he completed a PhD in mechanical engineering.

Invited by Jeff Allen