Lithium ion batteries: what are the limits?

The talk will present a historical perspective of the development of lithium ion batteries and an overview of their fundamental chemical basis in comparison to other types of rechargeable batteries.  In particular, the challenges, opportunities and perceived limits for future improvements will be presented. In the presenter’s opinion, significant advances are possible. Market forces will determine the eventual extent of vehicle electrification and the presenter believes plug in hybrids will emerge as a dominant choice.

Presenter(s)

Don Murphy obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford in 1972 and then became a member of technical staff at Bell Laboratories (AT&T and later Lucent Technologies) where his research focused on the properties and reactivity of solids inorganic materials in areas including batteries, superconductivity, and fullerenes. In addition to his personal research he managed an interdisciplinary group for over 15 years in a variety of activities including batteries (Li, Pb acid, Ni/MH and Ni/H2), superconductivity, ceramics, and other electronic materials. He retired from Bell Laboratories in 2000 as Director of the Applied Materials Research Department and has remained active as a consultant for several start-up companies based on electronic materials and devices. He is a fellow of the AAAS, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was awarded the North Jersey American Chemical Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.