International Battery and Hydrogen Laboratory

Advanced Battery Technology, Feb 2005

The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the California Institute of Technology (CaItech) have established a joint Associated International Laboratory on Materials for Electrochemical Energetics (LIA-ME^sub 2^) to promote a long-term research collaboration. The new laboratory includes offices and facilities at CaI tech's campus in Pasadena, and hosts researchers and engineers from France, the U.S., and international visiting scholars and students.

The research is focused on materials science for energy storage and conversion. Specific projects are on electrode materials for lithium primary and secondary batteries and materials for hydrogen storage applications. Major topics of study include thermodynamic measurements (entropy, enthalpy), characterizations of crystal structure and electronic structure, phase transitions, electrochemical kinetics, hydrogen sorption, and degradation processes of materials. Materials presentely under investigation include carbons (graphite, nanotubes and highly divided), carbon fluorides, metal oxides and hydrides, and nanostructured materials.

The lab is co-directed by Dr. Rachid Yazami from CNRS, Grenoble, and by Prof. Brent Fultz from Caltech.