Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation
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Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation
@cibi-usc.bsky.social
Advancing battery research and manufacturing through innovation and training.

https://research.cec.sc.edu/cibi
CIBI & the University of South Carolina have a strong partnership with PHENOGY AG, and we're thrilled to continue that as we build our facility and acquire new equipment.

Listen to the full podcast episode here: open.spotify.com/show/4eTqzcz...
December 12, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Roya Rajabi, Shichen Sun, Jamil Khan, Morgan Stefik, and Kevin Huang published a peer-reviewed paper this fall titled "A New Low-Rate Stable Hydrogel Cathode for Aqueous Zn-ion Batteries" in ChemSusChem.

Check out the full publication here: doi.org/10.1002/cssc...
A New Low‐Rate Stable Hydrogel Cathode for Aqueous Zn‐ion Batteries
A mixed ion- and electron-conducting hydrogel enables low-rate stability of aqueous Zn-ion batteries.
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Two CIBI team members, Kevin Huang and Paul Ziehl, were recognized as some of the world's top-cited researchers in their field. Huge congrats to them and all their work!

Read the full article here: www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/...
Over 130 USC experts listed as top-cited global researchers
The University of South Carolina had 140 total faculty members across 11 different colleges or schools honored on a recent list of the world’s top-cited researchers.
www.sc.edu
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Partnership is how progress happens.

At CIBI, our collaboration with Cristina Paredes and SC Nexus is a long-term commitment to advancing battery innovation, grid resilience, and workforce development in South Carolina and beyond.

#CIBI #BatteryInnovation #SCNexus #USCResearch #GridResilience
November 9, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Episode 3 is LIVE! You'll hear from 3 alumni from the University of South Carolina: Drew J. Pereira, William Rigdon, and Venkat Srinivasan.

Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/1CMe...
CIBI Episode 3 - Alumni Success: Guiding a Fast Growing Industry
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Last week, CIBI Director William Mustain connected with vendors and partners at The Battery Show 2025, including Mason McCune from Siemens, to discuss the future of battery innovation.

#CIBI #BatteryShow2025 #BatteryInnovation #EnergyStorage #USC #Research #GridResilience
October 15, 2025 at 1:18 PM
From Fraunhofer and Siemens to EnerSys, Pomega, and PHENOGY AG, CIBI is proud to be building the future of batteries alongside industry leaders. Watch the full episode here: open.spotify.com/show/4eTqzcz...
October 2, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Ep. 1 of the Cellmates by Lumicity x CIBI podcast is live! Hear from William Mustain, Director of the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation, as he shares what CIBI is, how the institute was formed, and our vision for the future. open.spotify.com/episode/4NEA...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Building CIBI: South Carolina’s New Hub for Battery Innovation
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Thank you to Ashley Malik and the Redwood Materials Tahoe campus team for hosting the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation Director William Mustain on Sept. 11! Great visit and looking forward to working together in the future!
September 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
We're thankful to have received funding through the University of South Carolina's sponsored awards! We've earned $10.2 million in federal research award funding and an additional $13.2 million in state funding for our new facilities. www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/...
USC continues record-breaking streak in research awards
USC's research funding again hit record highs this year, showing the resiliency and prowess of the university's students, faculty and staff.
www.sc.edu
September 8, 2025 at 4:37 PM
In case you missed it, listen to CIBI Director William Mustain's South Carolina Business Review interview here! He speaks about the future of the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation, our partnership with PHENOGY AG, and more!

www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/show/south-c...
Battery research in high gear at USC
A Swiss company specializing in battery technology has announced plans to open their US headquarters in Columbia, SC.
www.southcarolinapublicradio.org
September 5, 2025 at 6:04 PM
This summer, Kevin Huang's Electrochemistry Lab group published a solid lithium-ion conductor modeling paper in the Solid State Communications journal.

Check out the full publication at doi.org/10.1016/j.ss...

#CIBI #EnergyStorage #BatteryResearch #USCResearch
Redirecting
doi.org
September 2, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Congrats to Victoria Colón-LaBorde for finishing her summer internship earlier this month at NREL in Colorado! Victoria was part of a highly competitive DOE program, SULI. We're always excited to see the amazing things that our students are doing!
August 27, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Kevin Huang’s Electrochemistry Lab here at USC published a study in Journal of Materials Chemistry A this summer, shedding light on the electrokinetic behavior of a NaCa₀.₆V₆O₁₆·3H₂O (NaCaVO) cathode in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
Quantifying electrokinetics of NaCa0.6V6O16·3H2O cathode in aqueous zinc-ion batteries with ZnSO4 electrolyte
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have been actively studied in recent years as a promising solution for next-generation stationary energy storage due to their inherent safety, low cost, and high ene...
pubs.rsc.org
August 13, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Read about Jack George’s experiences this summer as an undergraduate researcher at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing under Professor Sanaz Sadati!
August 5, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Big news: Phase 1 construction of CIBI’s Battery Center at @UofSC is moving forward!
20,000 sq. ft. of labs, pilot manufacturing & researcher space
Columbia, SC
Opening in 18 months
The future of energy starts here.
www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/...
#BatteryResearch #CIBI #EnergyStorage #CleanEnergy
July 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
🚨 New publication from the Stefik and Huang lab groups! Their latest research explores a hybrid polymer–ceramic composite electrolyte that enhances the interfacial stability and performance of solid-state lithium-metal batteries.

Read their work here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Synthesis and Characterization of Tethered Polymer for Hybrid Electrolytes in Solid Lithium-Metal Batteries
This study investigates a hybrid polymer-ceramic composite electrolyte for solid-state batteries. The polymer is synthesized through the copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate and poly(methacrylic acid) via the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) method followed by postsynthetic functionalization to add phosphonic acid groups, yielding poly(PEGMA-ran-DEPMMA) that can covalently bind to oxide surfaces (Tpoly). The ceramic phase is porous gadolinium-doped cerium oxide (GDC) with a graded porosity made by a phase inversion method. Both monomers in Tpoly interact with anions synergistically for Li-ion conduction. In addition, the binding of phosphonic acid with GDC improves the interfacial stability. A Li symmetric cell with this hybrid electrolyte demonstrated stable performance for over 2000 h at 0.1 mA cm–2 with a critical current density of up to 0.8 mA cm–2. The interfacial resistance of this hybrid electrolyte/Li electrode is reduced by 50% as compared to nontethered PPEGMA. The findings highlight the potential of hybrid polymer-ceramic composites in overcoming interfacial challenges of solid-state lithium-metal battery technology.
pubs.acs.org
July 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Take a look into one of our research labs this summer! 🔋Our students and researchers are working on developing real world energy solutions right here at USC.

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes looks into our labs!

#batteryresearch #sustainableenergy #structuralbatteries
June 30, 2025 at 9:49 PM
CIBI Director William Mustain was featured in USC’s recent article on South Carolina’s growing energy ecosystem and the role research plays in advancing battery innovation. Proud to see his leadership recognized as CIBI continues building momentum!

Read the article here: www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/...
June 23, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Interested in learning more about CIBI? Check out the website in our bio!🔋

#uscresearch #batteryresearch #energyresilience #columbiasc
June 19, 2025 at 3:39 PM
With over 100 battery researchers, CIBI is driving South Carolina’s emergence as a regional leader in energy resilience and EV innovation. This $13.2 million investment takes that momentum even further.

#batteryresearch #uscresearch #energyresilience #evinnovation
June 10, 2025 at 10:40 PM
CIBI faculty & students attended the 2025 Battery Safety Workshop at UNC Charlotte this week! Dr. Golareh Jalilvand gave an invited talk on sustainable energy storage with cellulose-based separators. Thanks to UNCC & BATT CAVE for hosting! 🔋 #BatterySafety #USCResearch
June 6, 2025 at 7:34 PM
This Memorial Day, we pause to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. 🇺🇸

We’re grateful for their sacrifice and the freedoms it protects.
May 26, 2025 at 11:51 PM
CIBI students & faculty are proudly representing USC at the 247th ECS Meeting in Montréal! They’re presenting their research, deepening their knowledge, & exchanging ideas with colleagues on next-generation batteries & other types of electrochemical energy conversion and storage.
May 23, 2025 at 12:05 AM