Lee Hsun Lecture Series

Topic: TEM Insights Drive Breakthroughs: Fast-Charging,Zero-Cobalt,Zero-Strain Layered Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Speaker:  Prof.  Huolin Xin

          Department of Physics and Astronomy,University of California,Irvine

Time: 10:00-12:00,(Fri.) Sept. 19^th,2025

Venue: Room 403,Shi Changxu Building,IMR CAS

Abstract:

All EV makers are eager to eliminate cobalt from their battery packs not only for cost reduction but also because cobalt is singly sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo where child labor is used to mine these minerals—it is of economical as well as humanitarian importance to develop high-energy, safe cathode chemistries that have zero cobalt content. In this talk, I will talk about how in-situ transmission electron microscopy studies inspire us to develop a universal strategy to eliminate cobalt entirely and reduce the

Ni content in traditional stoichiometric layered cathodes (e.g. NMC,NCA,etc.) while achieving long cycle life (>3000cycles),effective zero volume change (ΔV/V <0.3%),high specific energy (>800 wh/kg) and high charge rate (>170 mAh/g at 5C). We will also demonstrate that this zero-strain cathode has unique

advantages in solid-state batteries.

Bio:  

Huolin Xin is currently a full professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCI. He received his Ph.D. from the Physics Department of Cornell University in 2011. He worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory as a scientific staff member and a principal investigator from 2013 to 2018. He is an expert on studying structure-property relationships for a range of battery materials and liquid/polymer/solid electrolytes. Xin holds a strong track record in leading multidisciplinary studies in the battery field. He is the lead PI in charge of managing a $2.5-million DOE Vehicle Technology Office project on low-to-no-cobalt lithium-ion batteries. He was named the Climate Action 30 by Insider and Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate. He received the MRS Outstanding Early-Career Investigator Award, the DOE Early Career Award, the MSA Burton Medal Award, the UCI Distinguished Early-Career Faculty for Research, the Beall Innovation Award in Physical Science. Xin has published more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has co-authored more than 43 publications in Science and Nature sister journals (corresponding author on 18).