June 24, 2020

Mobility21 UTC Researcher Venkat Viswanathan has been named one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35.

“Viswanathan is recognized for his work to develop a new type of battery that could make electric vehicles (EVs) cheaper and more energy efficient. His research specifically focuses on developing a new type of battery with an anode made out of pure lithium. While lithium metal batteries have great potential, they are prone to forming dendrites that arise when charging fast. These dendrites shorten the batteries’ lifetime and can lead to fires and explosions. To combat this, Viswanathan has developed a hybrid polymer-ceramic separator between the batteries’ electrodes that can apply enough pressure to keep the dendrites from forming. Viswanathan has collaborated with several companies on battery design and production. He and his team have received funding from the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program to continue their research, which has the potential to change the nature of transportation.” Find out more here.