Researching Lithium-Ion Battery Usage and Recycling
By Eric Wang ‘26This summer, I interned with the research and development department of Princeton NuEnergy (PNE), a startup out of Princeton University which focuses on the direct recycling of lithium-ion batteries and is known for their novel low-temperature, plasma-assisted separation process.
Throughout the course of my internship, my job involved:
- Performing basic chemistry tasks (grinding, sieving, weighing out materials, battery disassembly, distillations, filtrations, titrations, preparing crucibles, powder detachment etc.)
- Helping with characterization using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX)
- Designing, building, and testing anode half cells and full cells (calculating for theoretical capacity, mass loading, areal capacity; going through the entire battery manufacturing process from mixing to coating to manual assembly)
- Carrying out a personal project examining the relationship between mixing temperatures and the thixotropic nature of cathode slurries
As someone who is interested in both STEM and remedying the serious environmental issues we face today, my experience with PNE was unforgettable. Battery recycling is incredibly important if we want to conclude our dependence on fossil fuels, and I am appreciative of my having the opportunity to be a part of the sector. I enjoyed my time from start to finish and was ultimately able to walk away from the experience with a better understanding of lithium-ion batteries and their recycling as well as knowledge of how to conduct basic lab tasks and operate high-tech equipment. Looking ahead, I hope to continue my studies in STEM and explore career paths through which I can make a positive impact on the world.
Internship funded by the Robert S. Goodfriend Summer Internship Fund.