1. National Science Foundation Dynamic Phenomena in Complex Oxides for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ying S. Meng, University of California-San Diego, DMR 1057170 Outcome: Researchers at UC San Diego have developed and optimized a family of new oxide materials for electrodes in rechargeable lithium and sodium ion batteries. Impact: These oxides can reversibly intercalate and de-intercalate lithium and sodium ion, storing electric energy in chemical energy form. Such rechargeable batteries can be used in mobile devices, electric vehicles or station storage for solar and wind, offering a strong alternative energy storage solution. Explanation: Rechargeable ion batteries consists of ceramic oxides that can reversibly store and release mobile ions. For the past two decades lithium is the dominant chemistry, though sodium is a much more abundant element. By using lithium intercalation compounds as the model compounds, new oxides that can store and release sodium AND lithium ions have been developed and optimized for next generation energy storage technology. Professor Shirley Meng, of UCSD's Department of NanoEngineering and Chemical Engineering and recipient of an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, led the team, which developed the new family of energy storage oxides. Laboratory for Energy Storage & Conversion LESC

2. National Science Foundation P2O2 TM O Na Energy Density and Phase transformation Ying S. Meng, University of California-San Diego, DMR 1057170 Phase transformation is identified in Na 2/3 [Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 ]O 2 upon cycling. In different phases, Na-ion has different diffusion paths. It is demonstrated that battery performance can be improved significantly by excluding the P2–O2 phase transformation or re-designing the composition. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2013, 15, (9), 3304-3312 Functional Materials Letters 2013, 6, 1330001 Ambient temperature Na-ion batteries have the potential to meet the requirements for large-scale stationary energy storage sources as well as an alternative to Li-ion batteries due to the natural abundance and low cost. We first performed a systematic study on Na 2/3 [Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 ]O 2 as a cathode material for Na-ion batteries and achieved excellent cycling property. Based on our in-depth understanding in the Na-ion intercalation mechanism, an optimized new compound, Na 0.83 [Li 0.07 Ni 0.31 Mn 0.62 ]O 2, is designed and improved energy storage property is obtained.

3. National Science Foundation How Can Energy be Stored? Ying S. Meng, University of California-San Diego, DMR 1057170 An integrated education and outreach effort of this project include the design of a summer class where the high school students will learn the story of batteries, and why oxides have ability to store chemical energies, much more than the acidic fruits. The participants of the program are high school students from Latino district and central and south America. PI Meng has hosted over 120 Latino high school students in the past four years. PI Meng was demonstrating to the high school students from the Institute of Americas, how to make a Lemon battery of 3.5V (with five lemons) to light up an LED bulb. She then demonstrated that a tiny coin cell can perform the same function with much longer period, at the same time explaining the principles of energy storage. http://ne.ucsd.edu/smeng/education-outreach