(ORNL: Oak Ridge, TN) -- For those who dream of driving their electric vehicle long distances to see the world’s largest ball of twine, Chelsea Chen is dedicated to making it possible.

Chen, a polymer physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is studying ion transport in solid electrolytes that could help electric vehicle battery charges last longer.

“The challenge with current EVs is to further increase driving range, and that means higher energy density,” says Chen. “This requires revolutionary design of the battery chemistry.” 

To address this, Chen is researching solid polymer electrolytes. 

“Solid-state electrolytes are the key to higher energy density,” says Chen. “Polymers encounter both the cathode and the anode in EV batteries. Understanding and optimizing the structure and properties at the interface is the key to improving the performance of solid-state batteries.”

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