ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | APRIL 2025 1 1 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BETTER BATTERIES THROUGH NEUTRONS Researchers at Duke University along with scientists at the national labs discovered a way to make batteries that are safer, charge faster, and last longer. The team used neutrons at the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to understand how lithium moves in lithium phosphorus sulfur chloride (Li6PS5Cl), a promising solid-state battery material. Using neutrons at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source and machine-learned molecular dynamics simulations at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, they found that lithium ions easily diffused in the solid material, as they do in liquid electrolytes, allowing faster and safer charging. The results could enhance solid-state electrolytes (SSEs), enabling next-generation batteries. While SSEs have known advantages over liquid electrolytes, such as improved energy density, liquid electrolytes are more prevalent in battery materials because SSE materials are more challenging to create. Similarly, ions move more freely through liquid electrolytes than they do SSEs. The team used neutrons to study the lithium behavior in Li6PS5Cl because neutrons see lighter elements, allowing the scientists to gain new insights into solid-state superionic material for future energy storage technologies. Researchers used neutron spectro- scopy to measure molecular and atomic motions with lattice vibrations and magnetic excitations in materials. The team measured and modeled lithium diffusion in the solid material, finding that lithium easily diffused. “Our findings are impactful because they open the door to optimizing conductivity of the ions inside the material, therefore unlocking a path to increasing battery performance,” says ORNL scientist Naresh Osti. ornl.gov. FROM FUNGAL TISSUE TO CIRCUIT BOARDS Researchers at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, are transforming fungal tissue into circuit boards that match traditional materials in performance while decomposing completely after use. Their approach involves targeting fundamental material properties instead of trying to replicate standard manufacturing processes. The team chose Ganoderma lucidum, a fungus that grows on dead hardwood, harvesting its mycelium before it matures. They then developed a precise chemical treatment sequence using sodium hydroxide and acetic acid that fundamentally alters the material’s cellular structure. The treatment collapses the fungal networks into a dense and uniform material with a surface roughness of 2.7 µm. The treated material withstands temperatures up to 250°C without degrading, allowing manufacturers to use standard soldering techniques for attaching components. To protect the material during use, researchers applied a coating of shellac. This coating prevents moisture absorption that would disrupt electrical signals, provides an adhesive layer for copper circuit components, and enables end-of-life recycling. When submerged in ethanol, the shellac dissolves, allowing recovery of valuable metals while the fungal material composts naturally. www.jku.at. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., recently hosted the National Science Foundation’s launch of the CHORUS Center, whose goal is to create resilient safetycritical cyber-physical systems. Examples of such systems include driverless cars and smart traffic lights as well as smart power grids and health care/medical device networks. purdue.edu. BRIEF Neutron scattering was used by researchers to see how lithium ions (glowing orbs) move through a diffusion gate (gold triangle) in a solid-state electrolyte. Courtesy of Phoenix Pleasant/ORNL, U.S. DOE. Eco-friendly fabrication of mycelium-based substrates for electronic circuits. Image follows the harvest of pure mycelium skin. Courtesy of Advanced Functional Materials, 2024, doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202412196.
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