DISSERTATION DEFENSE
Janna Rathert, Mechanical Engineering
*under the direction of Dr. Jason Valentine & Dr. Cary Pint
鈥�Optimization of Ionic Transport in Electrochemical Devices鈥�
05.25.22 | 11:00am CST | 132 Featheringill Hall |聽
The increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations due to anthropogenic emissions poses imminent threats to Earth鈥檚 climate system and its most vulnerable communities. Technological innovation plays a major role in mitigating climate change by forging new pathways to generate, distribute, and utilize energy. The practice of electrochemistry, in particular, is an indispensable tool for increasing the utilization of renewable energy in the U.S. electrical grid, and may also improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices. In this presentation, I analyze a variety of cutting-edge electrochemical devices and leverage principles of ionic transport to optimize performance according to relevant metrics, like cycle life for batteries or power consumption for optoelectronics.