Battery Diaries Chapter 5

Hello everyone, I’m here with the 5th chapter of my battery diaries after quite a long hiatus.

It’s been approximately 5 months since the last entry.

Usually, despite putting in a lot of effort at the beginning and in the early stages of a task, the results obtained unfortunately do not progress in proportion. Although I haven’t just started my battery journey, I’m still in the early stages of this vast field of science, so I haven’t seen proportional performance to my efforts yet.

2nd Grade, 1st Semester:

After my last post, I started my second year in Chemical Engineering at Gebze Technical University. The course schedule for the second year, first semester, was quite intense. During this semester, we took 5 important courses that encompass the fundamental principles of chemical engineering: THERMODYNAMICS, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS (MASS AND ENERGY BALANCE), ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, FLUID MECHANICS, AND DIFFERENTIAL CALCULATIONS. I struggled a lot in each course, but they all provided me with valuable insights for my battery journey. Many electrochemical phenomena and mechanisms, which I previously knew superficially, started to become clearer in my mind.

Throughout this period, I continued to visit the laboratory at least once a week for observation, but I primarily focused on my university courses. Regarding batteries, I attended seminars, battery podcasts, and electric vehicle and battery programs online or live. (I will include the links to podcasts and YouTube channels below.)

After the end of the fall semester, I went on vacation with my family for a week to rest, and then I accelerated my battery research directly. Within a month, I finished reading the book titled “Li-ion Batteries and Applications” authored by Prof. Dr. Emre Biçer, whom I met at one of the seminars at the Nanotechnology Institute (link to the book: https://www.amazon.com.tr/Li-iyon-Piller-Uygulamalar%C4%B1-Emre-Bi%C3%A7er/dp/6254068702), and I also started preparing for the technical elective course “Battery Technologies” (link to the course: https://abl.gtu.edu.tr/ects/?duzey=ucuncu&modul=ders_bilgi_formu&dno=KMB%20461&bolum=108&tip=lisans&dil=tr), which is offered in our department during the fourth year.

Since the beginning of the second semester:

After the beginning of the second semester, I made several advancements in my academic and practical pursuits:

Firstly, I decided to enroll in the fourth-year elective course on Battery Technologies, as mentioned earlier. Attending this class once a week has provided me with invaluable insights into advanced battery technologies and their practical applications.

Additionally, I have resumed my programming and Python studies, aiming to attain a proficient level in Python programming and delve deeper into machine learning concepts over the next three months.

Regarding laboratory work, I have increased my frequency of visits this semester, aiming to spend at least two days per week conducting experiments. The lab instructors have been supportive, offering me opportunities to gain hands-on experience. For instance, last week, I had the chance to prepare an anode slurry with a professor working on Na-ion batteries.

Furthermore, I am actively engaged in following the energy storage sector, particularly in rechargeable battery technology, through platforms like LinkedIn and various industry events and seminars.

With these developments, I conclude the fifth installment of my battery journal. Below, I have shared links and files related to the aforementioned developments.

Until we meet again, take very good care of yourselves…

From the book “Li-ion Piller ve Uygulamaları”:

Battery podcast that I follow:

https://podcasts.feedspot.com/battery_podcasts/

https://batterymaterialsreview.podbean.com/

https://open.spotify.com/show/7reObg0P5ieBAsv50PhaN6

Channels and video series related to energy storage, electric vehicles, and batteries:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBF21IouRcdKu9QnfHd1rALm8VNhpN1nn&si=zRwa13h9VjhQfHkr
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyvdbTy3v1d5luwdDGPFPab9WWPmMW_cJ&si=TBQRjUIGAe6x26sD
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtRUqjw1PPT_yHF2Ct9lrxyZdGUYeQKOp&si=DNgmEXqhCp0AZUrI
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyvdbTy3v1d6S3JVBr0K6JHdTaNyxdGem&si=WsG-8yxf0_R8NQNf
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyvdbTy3v1d45MxLzExEjYtJz8SjiJA42&si=VhUvOJGnx9hxz8qM
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrK4gwOx1FbIRC-NS2_xQFLMvaK70RkWF&si=OSP8gqmvCg-en70O
https://youtube.com/@dolubatarya?si=ZwkSA2_HqF34rLtH
https://youtube.com/@batteryresearcher?si=AhDquEeTbkv1HGVF