Ultrafast Dynamics Control Renewable Energy Systems Ranging from Solid-State Battery Electrolytes to Solar Energy Conversion Materials

The award talk will highlight new fundamental insights into solar energy conversion and storage materials, showcased through the ultrafast perspective of the Cushing Lab. It will feature recent breakthroughs in mapping polaron phase diagrams for solar materials, examining how ion-phonon coupling influences solid-state battery electrolytes, and nanoscale imaging of photocarriers in nanoparticle photocatalysts via ultrafast TEM-EELS. Ultimately, the talk will emphasize how ultrafast dynamics can play a decisive role in the performance of renewable energy technologies.