Lynden Archer

Lynden A. Archer is a chemical engineer, Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering, David Croll Director of the Energy Systems Institute, and professor of chemical engineering at Cornell University. He became a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2007 and was elected into the National Academy of Engineering in 2018. Archer's research covers polymer and hybrid materials and finds applications in energy storage technologies. His h-index is 84 by Google Scholar.[1]

Lynden Archer
EducationStanford University (PhD, 1993)
University of Southern California (BS, 1989)
AwardsMember of the National Academy Engineering (2018)
Fellow of the American Physical Society (2007)
Scientific career
FieldsChemical engineering
InstitutionsCornell University

Education

Archer was born and raised in Guyana and wanted to be a ceramics engineer in high school.[2] He received one of the first international merit scholarships from the University of Southern California in 1986,[3] and as an undergraduate student, decided to work with polymers in his first semester.[4]

In 1989, Archer graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS degree in chemical engineering (polymer science). He earned his PhD in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 1993.[5] Subsequently, Archer worked as a postdoctoral member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1994.[6]

Career

Archer is the James A. Friend Family Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University. He joined the faculty at Cornell in 2000.[7] Archer served as William C. Hooey Director of the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University from 2010 to 2016.[8][5] Before joining Cornell, Archer was a chemical engineering faculty member at Texas A&M University, 1994-1999.[9]

Archer is the David Croll Director of the Cornell Energy Systems Institute.[10][11] Since 2008, Archer has served as co-director of the KAUST-Cornell Center for Energy and Sustainability.[7] He is also a co-director of Cornell's Center for Nanomaterials Engineering and Technology (CNET).[12] Archer has presented at the Renewable & Sustainable Energy Technology Workshop hosted by the NSF-IGERT Clean Energy for Green Industry graduate fellowship program in 2012.[13][14][15]

On June 8, 2020, Cornell announced that Archer was named to be Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering for a five-year term starting on July 1, 2020.[16][17] Archer is the second Black American to hold this position, after his direct predecessor Lance Collins.

Archer is an advisory board member of the Carbon XPrize.[18][19] He is also on the editorial board of Green Energy & Environment.[20]

In 2011, Archer and his wife Shivaun Archer, who works at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, cofounded the technology company NOHMs Technologies Inc. based on his research of Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) licensed from the Cornell Center for Technology Licensing.[21][22]

Archer was profiled in the Here and Now program produced by NPR and WBUR in 2016.[23] Scientific American listed Archer's development of an electrochemical cell that captures carbon dioxide among their top 10 "World Changing Ideas" for 2016.[21][24][25]

Research

Archer's research is focused on transport properties of polymers and organic-inorganic hybrid materials, as well as their applications for energy storage and carbon capture technologies.[5][7] His research spans several different battery components.

Electrolytes

Archer discovered that adding certain halide salts to liquid electrolytes creates nanostructured surface coatings on lithium battery anodes that hinder the development of dendritic structures that grow within the battery cell and typically lead to a decline in performance and overheating.[26] This study was conducted by modeling metal electrodeposition using density functional theory and continuum mechanics.

By adding tin to a carbonate-based electrolyte, Archer's group observed the instantaneous formation of a nanometer-thick interface that shields the anode and prevents dendrite formation, but keeps it electrochemically active.[27] Lithium can rapidly alloy with the added tin, which makes the lithium deposition during recharging more uniform. As a result, a lithium anode with a tin interface had a battery life cycle of more than 500 hours at 3 mA/cm2, as opposed to 55 hours without the protective interface. Tin requires minimal amounts of specialized equipment and processing. In a cheaper sodium anode, battery lifetime could be improved from less than 10 to more than 1,700 hours.

Another way of preventing dendrite growth in batteries that Archer investigated was the addition of large polymers to the liquid electrolyte. The consistency of the liquid is altered: it becomes viscoelastic, which suppresses electroconvection and therefore prevents flow in patterns that enable dendrite formation.[28] Archer also investigated the polymerization of a previously liquid electrolyte inside the electrochemical cell, which can improve the contact between the electrolyte and electrodes.[29]

Membranes

Another way of inhibiting dendrite growth that Archer investigated is the incorporation of a porous nanostructured membrane, which prevents the formation of subsurface structures in the lithium electrode.[30][31] The key nanoscale organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) were formed by grafting polyethylene oxide onto silica, subsequently cross-linked with polypropylene oxide to create strong, porous membranes. The intermediate porosity allows liquid electrolytes to flow but prevents dendrites from passing through. The incorporation of such membranes does not not require significant changes in battery design. Archer's group found that such a porous electrolyte effectively lengthens the route along which ions travel between anode and cathode and thus increases the life of the anode.[32] Additionally, the porous polymer membrane is softer than the metal, but can nonetheless act as an effective separator suppressing dendritic growth due to its tortuos nanostructure.

Archer investigated how tethering anions to the separator membrane in a battery can stabilize an electrochemical cell, which uses reactive metals as electrodes. The electric field at the metal electrode is reduced, which enhances stability during battery recharging even at higher currents, where usually a depletion zone forms due to ion migration, which in turn initiates dendrite growth. This depletion zone can be neutralized by permanently tethering anions to the membrane, which ultimately prevents battery failure. The method can be applied to lithium batteries, but also to batteries made of sodium or aluminum.[33]

Anodes

In exploring alternative materials to lithium to be used in batteries, Archer discovered a way of treating aluminum films to prevent the formation of an aluminum oxide layer that prevents electrical charge transfer.[34] The aluminum is coated with an ionic liquid containing chloride ions and a small nitrogen-containing organic compound. This treatment erodes existing aluminum oxide and prevents the formation of additional oxide.

Archer's research uncovered a way to build a low-cost zinc-anode battery with epitaxy by growing zinc on graphene, which creates a very stable, high-density energy storage in a reversible manner due to its electrochemical inertness.[35][36]

Archer studied electrochemical cells that can both capture carbon dioxide and produce electricity.[37][21] These devices consist of an aluminum foil anode, a porous and electrically conductive cathode, which allows for carbon dioxide and oxygen to pass through, and a liquid electrolyte bridging the anode and cathode through which molecules can diffuse. In experiments, such electrochemical cells generated 13 Ampere hours for each gram of captured carbon and converted carbon dioxide into aluminum oxalate, which can then be converted into oxalic acid.

Honors

References
  1. "Lynden Archer - Google Scholar". scholar.google.com. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. "After the Lecture: Lynden Archer". National Science Foundation. March 16, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  3. "USC Viterbi - Engineer, Fall 2011". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  4. "The Scientist: Prof. Lynden Archer Researches Polymers". The Cornell Daily Sun. March 26, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  5. "WIN Distinguished Lecture - Professor Lynden Archer: "Electrolyte Design Principles for Lithium Metal Batteries"". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  6. "The 44th Annual David M. Mason Lectures in Chemical Engineering". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  7. "Seminar - Lynden Archer, Cornell University". Berkeley Lab. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  8. "Lynden A. Archer — Lecture". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  9. "Lynden A. Archer - Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  10. "College of Engineering's 2019-20 Distinguished Lecture Series". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  11. "Leadership - Cornell Energy Systems Institute". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  12. "New Nanomaterials Lab at Cornell University Provides Space for Collaborative Research". The Cornell Daily Sun. February 2, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  13. "ReSET 2012". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  14. ReSET 2012 Technological Innovations Panel: Professor Lynden Archer (Cornell University) on YouTubeLynden Archer - IGERT Resources on Vimeo
  15. Q&A Panel Discussion: Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Technological Innovations - IGERT Resources on Vimeo
  16. "Lynden Archer named dean of College of Engineering". Cornell Chronicle. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  17. "Lynden Archer Appointed New Dean of Engineering College". The Cornell Daily Sun. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  18. "Scientific Advisory Board". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  19. "Can Chemists Turn Pollution into Gold?". Scientific American. July 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  20. "Green Energy & Environment Editorial Board". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  21. "From Lab to Invaluable Energy Innovations". Cornell Research. May 15, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  22. "NOHMs Technologies". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  23. "Profile Of A Scientist: Building A Better Battery". WBUR. June 15, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  24. "2016 World Changing Ideas". Scientific American. December 1, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  25. "Batteries Could Pull Carbon from the Atmosphere". Scientific American. December 1, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  26. "Add just a pinch of salt for longer battery life (Day 92)". August 27, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  27. "Next-generation rechargeable battery made with tin". Cornell Chronicle. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  28. "Weighty Polymers Impact Battery Stability and Safety". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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  32. "'Elegant' design could lead to more powerful, safer lithium metal battery". Cornell Chronicle. June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
    "'Elegant' Design Could Lead to More Powerful, Safer Lithium Metal Battery". Kavli Foundation. June 28, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  33. "Team devises new way for stabilizing battery recharge". Cornell Chronicle. July 15, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  34. Scott, Andrew (November 30, 2018). "Adapting aluminum for better batteries". Nature Middle East. doi:10.1038/nmiddleeast.2018.152. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  35. "Zinc-anode batteries prove their mettle". Cornell Chronicle. November 1, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  36. "Archer Group Published in Science on Their Concept Using Epitaxy to Regulate Reactions in Battery Anode". Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University. November 4, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  37. "Electrochemical Cell Makes Electricity and Chemicals From CO2". IEEE Spectrum. July 20, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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  39. "Award Abstract #9624254 - Career Program: Shear-Induced Slippage at Polymer-Solid Interfaces". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  40. "APS Fellow Archive". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  41. "KAUST announces inaugural Global Research Partnership center grants". AAAS EurekAlert!. May 8, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  42. "New Hot Papers - January 2010". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  43. "Xiong Wen (David) Lou & Lynden A. Archer talk with ScienceWatch.com and answer a few questions about this month's New Hot Papers in the field of Materials Science". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  44. Lou, Xiong Wen (David); Archer, Lynden A.; Yang, Zichao (October 29, 2008). "Hollow Micro‐/Nanostructures: Synthesis and Applications". Advanced Materials. 20 (21): 3987–4019. doi:10.1002/adma.200800854. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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  51. "Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Materials and Applications in Next-Generation Energy-Storage Technologies". National Science Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  52. "MPS Distinguished Lecture by Prof. Lynden Archer (Cornell) on Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Materials". National Science Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  53. "Professor Lynden A. Archer from Cornell University Delivers Molecular Science Forum Lecture on November 14, 2017". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  54. "NAE Website - Professor Lynden A. Archer". Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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  56. "Three African American Men to Be Inducted Into the National Academy of Engineering". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. July 30, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020."Lynden A. Archer, Gary S. May and Gabriel C. Ejebe to be Inducted Into the National Academy of Engineering for 2018". Houston Style Magazine. August 6, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  57. "ACROSS AMERICA: Three African-Americans Claim Rare Engineering Accomplishment". Philadelphia Tribune. August 21, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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  59. "Highly Cited Researchers - 2019 Recipients". Web of Science. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  60. Distinguished Lecture: Lynden A. Archer on YouTube
  61. Lynden Archer: "Stability of Metal-Electrolyte Interphases in Secondary Batteries" on YouTube
  62. Lynden Archer: Faculty Panel Discussion on YouTube
  63. "The Society of Rheology Fellows - Class of 2020". Society of Rheology. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
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