AE at Illinois Graduate Student Takes Second in National SHPE Research Competition

1/23/2014 Susan Mumm, Media Specialist

Joseph Gonzalez presented on Li-ion composite battery electrodes at a recent national SHPE conference.

Written by Susan Mumm, Media Specialist

PhD student Joseph Gonzalez
PhD student Joseph Gonzalez
PhD student Joseph Gonzalez
Aerospace Engineering at Illinois graduate student Joseph Gonzalez took second place for research presented at the National Conference of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

Gonzalez competed last fall among 125 finalists from across the country invited to present papers on research ranging from biomedical studies to physics to aerospace engineering.

“Three Dimensional Studies in Li-ion Composite Battery Electrodes,” illustrated Gonzalez’s work in using x-ray tomography to visualize microstructural evolution of an anodic Tin-based electrode before and after lithiation, using a custom designed Li-ion battery cell.

“Through ex situ imaging of the composite electrode after different stages of electrochemical testing, I developed particle expansion measurements and observed different failure mechanisms,” Gonzalez said. “I tied my results into understanding the microstructural challenges and improvements that can be made to develop higher capacity batteries for the future, leading to longer battery life.”

Gonzalez is pursuing a PhD under the direction of AE at Illinois Prof. John Lambros.
 


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This story was published January 23, 2014.