National Science Foundation Funds NJIT Professor Investigating Next-Gen Energy Storage

Published: Friday, January 5, 2024
Dibakar Datta examines the interrelated electrical, chemical and mechanical behaviors of multiscale materials.

From laptops to cars, society has come to rely on rechargeable batteries — and the demand is only growing. This surge means researchers are racing to figure out the most efficient ways to manage this type of energy storage. 

While current designs utilize microparticle-based technology, it’s insufficient for the most affordable, safe and efficient batteries possible. Given advances in nanotechnology, Dibakar Datta, an associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology, is interested in deploying nanoparticles as battery electrodes.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), which awarded Datta a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant, sees next-generation energy storage as something urgently needed to advance the U.S. economy, welfare and defense. 

Huge potential 

While there are problems associated with nanoparticles that need to be overcome before the battery industry will use them over microparticles, a way forward lies in utilizing “multiscale active materials” to leverage the advantages of both kinds of particles. What if microparticles were used with nano pores, for example? 

“The potential is huge,” Datta said. “We could have the best of both worlds, micro and nano, and create more long-lasting, compact batteries.”

The goal of Datta’s research is to understand the interrelated electrical, chemical and mechanical behaviors of these multiscale materials. The project will develop an integrated simulation and machine learning framework to discover the optimal materials for energy storage. 

Datta’s $500,000 CAREER grant also supports creating outreach and educational activities that provide research opportunities for underrepresented students. Working with community college students in partnership with the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program, Datta will offer workshops for elementary school teacher trainees and provide STEM content to promote science among young students. Additionally, free online workshops related to this research will benefit the global mechanics research community.