Women Scientists at the Forefront of Energy Research: A Virtual Issue, Part 3
Nam-Soon Choi (Photo courtesy of Nam-Soon Choi)
Electrolyte systems—my current field of research—create complex interactions with electrodes in a battery and significantly affect the battery’s performance. The reason I was inspired by the not-so-simple mechanism of battery electrolytes and continued my research in this field can be traced back to 2004, when I was working as a senior researcher after completing my doctoral program, at the R&D center of Samsung SDI—a company specializing in battery technology. I took part in a project for developing high-energy batteries with a team of experts responsible for the design, manufacture, and evaluation of battery systems, and our research focused not only on the characteristics of electrolytes but also on the suitability of the developed electrolytes toward electrodes and manufacturing process. Through this process, I developed fluoroethylene carbonate, which is the most potent additive for improving the performance of high-capacity Si anodes. This experience of working with industry experts on the project enabled me to evolve material development strategies for overcoming the limitations of existing electrolytes.
Based on personal experience, I would like to tell younger researchers in the field the following four points which I consider important: (1) For practical use of a new material through R&D, “it is more important to see the woods instead of the tree.” (2) You must have the flexibility to accept that your research outcome may not be perfect. Developing a new material and accurately interpreting the functions of that material can only be achieved through continued research and taking into account the new advances made by several researchers. (3) The same material may vary in its performance depending on the system manufacturing and evaluation conditions. Therefore, transparency must be maintained during research. (4) Although research focusing on performance improvement is important, efforts to understand the degradation behavior of systems and materials could be a foundation for scientific advancement.
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