Khalil Amine

Khalil Amine (born 1962) is a materials scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, an Argonne distinguished fellow, and group leader of the Battery Technology group. His research team is focused on the development of advanced battery systems for transportation applications. In addition to his Argonne appointment, he is an adjunct professor at Stanford University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Hanyang University, and Peking University.

For his contributions in the field of electrochemical materials development, Amine was awarded the Global Energy Prize in 2019, and Scientific American's Top Worldwide 50 Research Leader Award in 2003. In 2017, Amine was chosen as a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society. He is the founder and chairman of the Advanced Lithium Battery for Automotive Application (ABAA) global conference.

Early career and education

Amine received his Ph.D. in materials science in 1989 from the University of Bordeaux in France. After completing his doctorate, Amine did postdoctoral studies at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Moving to Japan in the early 1990s, Amine held various positions at Japan Storage Battery Company, the Osaka National Research Institute, and Kyoto University, before moving to Argonne National Laboratory in 1998.

Research

● Cathode materials based on the AB₂O₄ spinel structure have been studied extensively since the mid-1980s due to their stability, high lithium-ion diffusion, and large number of materials that crystallize with this stoichiometry. In 1996, Amine and co-workers reported the synthesis and electrochemistry of the ordered spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (1996), a cathode often called "5V spinel". It is notable for its stable high voltage with a typical capacity of 125 mAh/g. The compound operates using only the nickel content as the active redox species while the structure inhibits charge compensation by oxygen evolution.

● Amine and co-workers have been active in the studying the lithium-ion cathode materials termed NMC cathodes (patent issued 2005). The materials structure is based on intergrowths of constituent nano-domains of two closely related layered oxides. They are widely used cathode materials in consumer electronics and electric vehicles. NMC technology has been incorporated into multiple batteries types around the world including those that powered GM's Chevy Volt and Bolt. Depending on the lithium content, these materials show an activation step on the first charging cycle that creates a heterogeneous electrochemically active material with capacities greater than 220 mAh/g.

● One of the instabilities of NMC cathodes involves the redox activity of the highly charged cations at the surface against the solvent molecules of the organic electrolyte. In 2012 Amine and Prof Yang Kook Sun from Hanyang University, reported an improvement over the standard NMC cathode by devising a synthetic strategy that slightly orders the constituent cations to create a gradient structure that allows for the surface to be less reactive than the bulk. An advanced version of the NMC cathode technology allows for a wide range of formulations and compositions to be created across each particle to increase both energy and stability at high voltage.

● Lithium-air technology, including a new series of catalysts (2007) developed with Larry Curtiss of Argonne National Laboratory for Lithium-air energy storage systems that increase reversibility, was developed to reduce the overpotential observed in air-based systems associated with the needed electron transfer reactions. In 2013 they improved on the system by developing a closed oxygen system that results in a significant simplification of the purification and storage system. The system stores energy in the couple going from superoxide (O₂) anion to the peroxide (O₂) anion. The net reaction is (LiO₂ +Li –-> Li₂O₂).

Honors and awards

• Global Energy Prize, 2019
• Electrochemical Society Battery Research Award, 2019
• International coalition for energy storage and innovation award, 2019
• Elsevier Energy Storage Material Journal Award, Shenzhen, October 2018
• Named Highly-Cited Researcher in 2017, 2018 and 2019 by Clarivate Analytics
• Named one of the most cited authors in energy storage between 1998 and 2008 by ScienceWatch
• NAATBatt Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017
• US Department of Energy Outstanding Scientist Award, 2013
• International Battery Association Award (2010)
• Electrochemical Society Battery Technology Award, 2010
• US Federal Laboratory Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer (2009)
• University of Chicago's Board of Governors’ Distinguished Performance Award, 2008
• Scientific American Top Worldwide 50 Research Leader Award, 2003

Memberships and service

• Served in the board of the Committee on fuel economy of light duty vehicles of the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council
• Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, 2017
• Fellow of the Hong Kong Hong Kong Institute of Advanced Studies
• Member of the American Ceramic Society
• Member of the Material Research Society
• Member of the American Chemical Society
• Chair of the International Meeting on Lithium Batteries
• Associate Editor of Nano Energy Journal
• Founded the International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications (ABAA) and chaired the conference from 2009 through 2012
• President of IMLB association

Selected patents

• US patent US6420069B2, positive electrode for lithium battery
• US patent US7468223B2, lithium metal oxide electrodes for lithium cells and batteries
• US8591774B2, Methods for preparing materials for lithium-ion batteries
• US patent US9593413B2, Composite materials for battery applications