PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (July 6, 2023) – The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $199,829 to a team of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) researchers and their multi-institutional collaborators at the Center for Interfacial Ionics (CI2). The CI2, an NSF Center for Chemical Innovation (CCI), is led by the University of Oregon (UO) and includes researchers from PVAMU and institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, and the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine).
Assistant Professors of Chemistry at PVAMU Matthew Minus, Ph.D., and Marco Giles, Ph.D., are members of the CI2’s STEM diversity pipeline team and lead the NSF-funded project focused on understanding and catalyzing interfacial ion transfer.
Matthew Minus, Ph.D.
“Imagine cell phones that could go months without charging. Imagine electric cars that can recharge in minutes and drive for days. Imagine whole cities running on a battery the size of a car,” said Dr. Minus. “This collaboration between PVAMU, UO, MIT, UC Irvine, and Stanford aim to make a breakthrough in the fundamental research that could enable the realization of all these possibilities.”
As Dr. Minus explained, their project at CI2 focused on interfacial ion transport is significant because “a lot of research has been done on battery materials and redox potentials, but not enough is understood about ion transfer within electrical devices, namely batteries. Understanding interfacial ion transport at the fundamental chemical level is critical for the advancement of all battery technologies,” he said.
“This NSF-sponsored, collaborative project not only fosters the research and advancement of battery technology, which plays an integral role in the global energy transition but will also enrich the electrochemical research skills and knowledge of our undergraduate students,” noted PVAMU Vice President of Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA.
As part of the project and the NSF’s CCI Program, senior PVAMU personnel will recruit and mentor undergraduate students during the fall and spring semesters, providing hands-on instrumentation training. Undergraduates will participate in lab activities and research under the guidance of project mentors and will have the opportunity to network with other undergraduate and graduate researchers and present research findings at conferences. Senior PVAMU personnel will also meet with collaborators from partnering universities to discuss project goals and successes.
“In a world of green and clean energy that must be stored and used to power electric cars, cities, and other technology, the production of more advanced battery systems is critical,” explained Dr. Minus. “Therefore, understanding and catalyzing interfacial ion transfer is critical for the advancement of society.”
By Leigh Badrigian