From manganese-rich cathodes that reduce reliance on critical materials to AI-driven material discovery, Jason Croy and his team at Argonne National Laboratory are tackling some of the most pressing technical and economic barriers in battery innovation. In this conversation, he shares insights on overcoming performance limitations, navigating the dominance of lithium-ion, leveraging advanced national lab capabilities, and fostering collaborations that accelerate next-generation energy storage technologies.
Q: What are some of the common technical barriers when developing new battery materials or architectures? How are you working to overcome them?
A: The properties of battery materials in general rely on complex interactions across length scales and across the battery cell as a system. For example, the arrangement, or ordering, of elements on the atomic scale in a cathode material will have an influence on the larger-scale physical and electrochemical properties of the cathode material itself as well as the cell system (cathode/electrolyte/anode), and everything in between. To develop new materials or enhance the properties of existing materials, we need to understand these correlations.
Jason Croy, PhD
My group at Argonne National Laboratory specializes in the development of cathode materials made from earth-abundant elements such as manganese. Manganese-rich cathodes can decrease dependence on critical elements (e.g., cobalt and nickel) while lowering costs in applications like electric vehicles. However, discovering and developing materials that can compete with current technologies, optimized by industry over several decades, is a daunting task. To tackle the challenges, we utilize the tools and expertise available at Argonne to design, synthesize, and understand materials and complex correlations.
We bring together capabilities like the Advanced Photon Source, novel synthesis methods, microscopy, supercomputers, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and techno-economic modeling in a collaborative and iterative fashion. This allows us to make continuous progress towards our goals. In short, the major challenge is that materials science is “big science’” and sustained, focused efforts, supported by unique capabilities and expertise, are required for success.
Q: What do you see as the biggest obstacles facing the commercialization of next-generation battery technologies?
A: I think one of the most significant challenges to the commercialization of “next-gen contenders” is the maturity, commercial success, and continued improvements of lithium-ion. For example, my own work is focused on greatly reducing the cost of lithium-ion by decreasing dependence on critical materials, all while maintaining sufficient performance for electric vehicle applications. Likewise, a lot of R&D is focused on making the processing of lithium-ion materials and cells more efficient, less energy-intensive, and less expensive. These efforts continue to move forward with success, constantly moving the goal post for competitors. Batteries must simultaneously meet many stringent performance demands while being economically viable—very difficult for newcomers. However, if there is continued growth in demand and application, new technologies will certainly find a way in.
Q: What advancements in materials science are helping overcome limitations like energy density, lifespan, or raw material availability?
A: In our work in the Materials Research Group at Argonne, we are making advances to help enable Manganese-rich cathodes as low-cost, high-energy materials made from earth-abundant elements. One of the challenges with the Mn-rich materials we are developing is that the final cell-level energy density is limited by the density of the material itself when synthesized as cathode particles. It turns out, for reasons related to the atomic structure of this material, that low-density, porous particles perform better than high-density counterparts. We conducted a rigorous experimental and electrochemical modeling study of these particles to determine the optimum particle architecture for both density and performance. Our team then worked to develop a new synthesis and processing method to achieve that architecture. This advance in materials synthesis is currently the subject of a new patent filing out of Argonne and helping to boost the energy density of our earth-abundant cathodes.
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In addition, we have developed several surface modification technologies to help stabilize the surface of Mn-rich cathode particles and extend lifetimes well beyond those of materials without modifications.
Q: How do you manage collaboration between research labs, industry partners, and government programs?
A: We have a long history of collaboration among the national labs; it’s a natural part of how we work. I currently lead a consortium of six national laboratories, known as the Earth-abundant Cathode Active Materials (EaCAM) consortium funded by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). This is where our work on manganese takes place. Consortiums are a great way to bring together the wide range of expertise and tools that are available across the national lab complex to focus on specific challenges and there are several consortia currently operating across DOE programs.
Industry is also engaged with these consortia in various ways. In addition, individual groups and/or scientists across Argonne are continuously engaged in collaborative work with many industrial partners. It’s a way for companies to take advantage of the capabilities at DOE labs like Argonne to help solve the specific challenges they face. To this end, the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) works directly with both public and private organizations to help them leverage the lab’s capabilities and people to help solve technological challenges.
Q: How do AI and automation figure into your lab’s battery development process? Are they helping accelerate discovery or improve reproducibility?
A: Certainly, AI has become part of our work in many areas, including energy storage. There is a dedicated page on Argonne’s website highlighting our work in autonomous labs, artificial intelligence and robotics. We use AI to help us understand and discover materials and material properties, as well as system-level performance.
Q: How do you evaluate when to invest in new equipment, tools, or automation platforms—and what factors help you justify those decisions?
A: One of the things we do is try to predict where technologies will go. In that regard, Argonne’s first efforts on technologies like sodium-ion and metal-air batteries began over a decade ago. We also try to establish efforts to guide where technologies will go. For example, the Energy Storage Research Alliance (ESRA), a DOE-funded Energy Innovation Hub led by Argonne, is focused on making fundamental scientific breakthroughs to bring about new technologies that will shape a more secure energy future.
Because doing novel, cutting-edge research often requires new capabilities, investments in equipment, tools, or personnel are typically vital. If the possibilities surrounding a new field or idea are exciting enough, then we look to invest. Almost two decades ago, for example, Argonne and VTO saw a huge opportunity in developing expertise in the design and fabrication of lithium-ion electrodes and cells. Out of that, Argonne’s Cell Analysis, Modeling, and Prototype (CAMP) Facility was born. A first-of-its-kind facility across the national labs, CAMP has since become a recognized leader in lithium-ion electrode and cell R&D across the world.
Likewise, Argonne houses one of the world’s first exascale supercomputers, known as Aurora. The idea of Aurora has roots that are much older than the supercomputer itself. The exciting possibilities that developments such as artificial intelligence stirred many years ago, set in motion a long effort to make Aurora a reality.
In the end, big investments are usually driven by Argonne’s desire to stay on the cutting edge of technological and fundamental discoveries.
Q: What do you think labs and lab managers need to do differently to prepare for the scale and complexity of future energy challenges?
A: Although the challenges and complexities related to our energy future have gained considerable attention in recent times, most scientists have been quite aware of the scale and complexity for many years. From Svante Arrhenius to the famous Carl Sagan, close to 200 years of modern science have been dedicated to issues related to the way we produce and use energy. As scientists, we must continue this legacy of championing the work we feel is important. In addition, we must remain dedicated to mentoring young scientists in our field as well as educating young students of all disciplines about our work.
In this regard, when it comes to doing things differently, I think scientists have typically not been great at communicating on topics of importance to non-scientists. Whether this is a part of our character or an oversight, I think we should strive to be better at telling our stories in order to make meaningful impressions on the importance of science.
Bio: Jason Croy, PhD, is the group leader for the Materials Research Group at Argonne National Laboratory and the project lead for several Department of Energy programs focused on materials development for battery technologies. Since 2016, Jason has served as the program lead for the Department of Energy’s Deep Dive consortiums on Next-Generation and Earth-Abundant Lithium-Ion Cathodes, directing research efforts across seven national laboratories and more than 60 individual researchers developing and implementing program goals related to sustainable cathode technologies.
Croy received his PhD in physics from the University of Central Florida, where his work focused on the electronic, vibrational, and catalytic properties of mono- and bimetallic nanoparticle systems. In 2010, Jason began his career at Argonne, focusing on the design, synthesis, and characterization of high-energy, lithium-ion electrode materials. Dr. Croy is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of lithium-ion batteries and has published numerous articles on the atomic-scale mechanisms governing their performance.
Highlights of Jason’s work include publishing unique methods for the analysis of synchrotron X-ray absorption data related to working battery electrodes, recipient of the International Battery Association’s Early Career Award, more than 70 published works with over 6,000 citations on energy technologies, and numerous patents related to novel energy storage materials.
