AI plus chemistry can expand battery electrolyte design

Cornell researchers are using artificial intelligence to speed the search for better battery materials while using a creative approach to chemistry to expand the design space for electrolytes, unlocking new possibilities for safer, higher-performing energy storage. Electrolytes shuttle ions between battery electrodes and are key to a battery's energy density, lifetime and charging speed, yet they are difficult to design because small changes in composition can dramatically change how they work. "Electrolytes are not just supporting materials in batteries; they are a design space," said Fengqi You . You's research group integrates theoretical frameworks, artificial intelligence and other computational methods to help discover next-generation battery materials, among other research themes. His group has introduced IonNet, an AI framework that predicts how well lithium ions move through solid materials using only their chemical composition.