Achievement

The IGERT program in Materials for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University is bringing together researchers with diverse expertise to solve pressing challenges facing humanity. As one example, a team of electrochemists partnered with synthetic chemists to make electroactive polymers for use as cathode materials in electrochemical energy storage technologies. The team synthesized a redox active polymer with a theoretical capacity over 300 Ah/kg and a very high reduction potential. This polymer is very promising since the most common cathode material in lithium-ion batteries has a practical capacity of 140 Ah/kg. Organic polymers are a promising alternative to non-sustainable and expensive inorganic oxides. Their development could dramatically alter the electrical energy storage landscape and usher in a new area of high-performing, sustainable materials for applications in consumer electronics, transportation, and renewable energy sources.