Welcome to the home page of the Paul Braun Research Group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Our group members perform research in the fields of materials chemistry, polymers, biomaterials, organic and inorganic self-assembly, electronic materials and photonics.
In the News
Braun in unique partnership with Nissan to improve EV batteries
Today’s mainstream electric cars (EVs) can travel about 300 miles on a single charge. That’s a big advance over the 150-mile EV ranges of a just few years ago, but it still falls far short of the range that conventional cars can achieve on a tank of gas. Substantial improvements in battery technology are needed if EVs are to rival the ranges of gas-powered cars.
Now, Paul V. Braun is pursuing a project with Nissan to design materials with the properties needed to improve EV battery electrodes – and the effort has a special feature. Nissan didn’t only provide funding support, but has sent one of their engineers, Yasunori Abe, to collaborate with Braun’s group. Abe has come from Japan to work in residence on the U of I campus for the duration of the project.
Read the full story by Jenny Applequist: https://mrl.illinois.edu/news/79373
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Nature Communications Editors’ Highlight!
Recent publication, “Cathode chemomechanics controls Li metal solid-state battery performance under low stack pressures” was highlighted as a featured article by Nature Communications. The editors highlight the most interesting research works published in the broad topic of energy. Congratulations to the co-authors!
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Team overcomes challenge of volumetric change as a major step toward practical solid-state batteries
Researchers shed light on the impact of electrodes’ size changes during use and created solid-state batteries that work at unprecedentedly low stack pressures.
Read the full story by Jenny Applequist: https://matse.illinois.edu/news/78312
Research Article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64358-2
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Single-Step Electrochemical Battery Recycling
A new battery recycling method developed by Illinois Grainger engineers removes scarce, expensive metals from old battery cathodes and coats them onto new cathodes in a single step. The result is significantly more affordable, less environmentally impactful and less risky to health than any recycling method currently in use.
Read the full story by Michael O’Boyle: https://matse.illinois.edu/news/77759
Research Article: https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202511009
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Read More Braun Lab News
| Braun Group Recent Publications |
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| Y.-J. Huang, P. Lu, P.V. Braun and D.G. Cahill, Probing thermodynamics of Li-ion solvation through reversible heat, Cell Reports Physical Science, 102906 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102906 |
| H. Kim, P. Lan, S. Jang, P.V. Braun, C. Evans, Precise Linker Length and Dynamic Bond Exchange Control Penetrant Diffusion in Dense Vitrimers, Macromolecules 58, 21, 11649-11658 (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.5c01619 |
| Y. Li, P. Bansal, P. Lu, P.V. Braun, P. Wang, Uncertainty Quantification of Silicon Anode Capacity Fading with Multiple Interactive Degradation Mechanisms Using Physics-informed Gaussian Process Modeling, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 172, 10, 100543 (2025). DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/ae1098 |
| M.J. Dipto, K.F. Rabbi, Z. Liu, Y. Gurumukhi, J.G. Sederholm, S. Joshi, P.V. Braun, P. Wang, and N. Miljkovic, Internal flow cooling of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, Applied Thermal Engineering, 281, 1, 128458 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.128458 |
| K.-W. Lan, M.S. Gebre, B. Zahiri, P.V. Braun, D.P. Shoemaker, and N.H. Perry, Separating grain vs. grain boundary conductivity in Li2OHCl antiperovskite solid electrolytes during and after synthesis, Solid State Ionics, 431, 117038 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.ssi.2025.117038 |
| S. Moradi, B. Zahiri, and P. Braun, Cathode chemomechanics controls Li metal solid-state battery performance under low stack pressures, Nature Communications, 16, 9266 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64358-2 |
| A.S. Qu, Z. Ou, Y. Savsatli, L. Yao, Y. Cao, H. Yu, E.C. Montoto, J. Hui, B. Li, J.A.N.T. Soares, L. Kisley, B.P. Bailey, E.A. Murphy, J. Liu, J. Huang, C.M. Evans, C.M. Schroeder, J. Rodríguez-López, J.S. Moore, Q. Chen and P.V. Braun, Visualizing Energy Transfer Between Redox-Active Colloids, Science Advances, 11, 36 (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ady7716 |
| J.G. Sederholm, A. Patra, Z. Liu, J.-W. Lin, C. Juarez-Yescas, P. Wang, and P.V. Braun, Single-step Electrochemical Battery Recycling, Advanced Functional Materials, e11009 (2025). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202511009 |