Today@Dal

The year is 2008. Research associate David Stevens and graduate student Aaron Smith scour Ebay, searching for a deal. They work for Professor Jeff Dahn, Dalhousie’s Canada Research Chair in Materials for Batteries and Fuel Cells. Unless they find the equipment they need at the right price, the High Precision Charger that Dr. Dahn envisioned and that Mr. Smith designed will remain only a tantalizing possibility.

Four years and thousands of hours of practical and theoretical work later, Dr. Dahn and his grad students have translated that tantalizing possibility into a world-changing reality. Their work has attracted industrial partners like General Motors, Magna E-Car systems, Nova Scotia Power, Medtronic Energy and Component Centre, and 3M, and Dr. Dahn has received $4.1 million to advance the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

The High Precision Charger (HPC) Dr. Dahn and his students built in the Dunn Building is the world’s only automated high precision charger system for testing lithium-ion batteries. It’s now possible for Dr. Dahn to make statements about battery lifetimes in three weeks that previously could have taken several years.

Read more about Dr. Dahn's work on Dal News.