Bio 
Jennifer joined Cornell University as a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering in the fall of 2008. She is a member of Prof. Lynden Archer’s research group, which studies the properties of nanomaterials in energy storage applications. Jennifer currently resides in Groton, NY with her husband and 5-year-old son. Her interests include music, athletics, renovating her house, and outdoor activities such as fishing, shooting, and gardening. Jennifer received Bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Widener University in Chester, PA in 2008. She is a 2004 graduate of Deposit Central School in Deposit, NY. In high school, Jennifer participated in track & field, basketball, and concert band.
Research
The commercialized rechargeable lithium batteries currently used to power devices such as cell phones, laptops, power tools ,and the Tesla roadster (a high-end electric sports car) are too large, heavy, costly, and short-lived for applications such as common consumer electric vehicles. Advances are required in materials development for lithium batteries to broadly meet consumer needs. Battery performance is determined by the chemistry of the two electrodes, the electrolyte, and the interfaces between electrode and electrolyte. Due to their increased energy density (energy per unit mass or volume), rechargeable batteries with lithium metal anodes could be two to three times lighter than current commercialized lithium-ion batteries. However, batteries that offer improvements in energy density unfortunately lack safety, which limits their use to applications such as unmanned military systems. Jennifer’s research focuses on understanding which electrolyte properties enable the safe use of lithium metal anodes in rechargeable batteries, thus enabling smaller and lighter battery designs.
When lithium metal batteries are recharged, lithium ions redeposit on the anode in the form of lithium metal; unfortunately, this deposition occurs unevenly across the electrode surface. Metallic spikes, called dendrites, emerge from the surface and grow across the electrolyte space to the other electrode, creating a “short circuit.” In the presence of commonly used electrolyte materials, a “short” often results in fire or explosion, a clear safety hazard. Jennifer researches ways to engineer the electrolyte to promote even metallic lithium plating upon recharge, eliminating the short circuit concern, while using materials that are non-flammable and non-volatile.
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