24-643 Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems

Contemporary energy needs require large-scale electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems. Batteries are playing a prominent role in portable electronics and electric vehicles. This course introduces principles and mathematical models of electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Students will study thermodynamics, reaction kinetics pertaining to electrochemical reactions, phase transformations relating to batteries. This course includes applications to batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors.

Biographical Sketch

Venkat Viswanathan is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He leads an interdisciplinary group comprising of ~30 researchers working on technologies that can accelerate the transition to sustainable transportation and aviation. He is a recipient of numerous awards including the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35, Office of Naval Resarch (ONR) Young Investigator Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry and National Science Foundation CAREER award.

Course Significance

Electrochemical energy systems are at the forefront of possible storage technologies that could address the energy storage gap generated by renewable energy penetration and the need to reduce CO2 emissions. Robust electrode/electrolyte interfaces are a crucial requirement for the long term reliability of fuel cells and batteries. This course will teach the fundamentals in understanding and identifying the fundamental limitations of electrochemical systems.

Course Content

The class will consist of six modules covering

  1. Fundamentals
  2. Thermodynamics
  3. Reaction Kinetics
  4. Fuel Cells
  5. Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces
  6. Transport
  7. Porous Electrode Theory
  • Midterm
  • Finals