<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">We are pleased to announce the fifth speaker of the 2008-2009 MITEI Seminar Series - the first of the Spring semester. We hope you will join us Tuesday, February 10th as we welcome Professor Jean-Marie Tarascon of the Universite de Picardie, Member of the French Academy of Science.<div><br></div><div><b>Recent advances, new trends, and future challenges within the Li-ion battery energy storage system</b></div><div><b>Jean-Marie Tarascon</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Date: </span>February 10th</b></div><div>Time: <b>4:15-5:45</b> - Reception to follow</div><div>Location: <b>66-110</b> (Landau Building, 25 Ames Street)</div><div><br></div><div><b>Abstract</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Rechargeable Li-ion cells power most of today’s portable electronics and are serious contenders to both facilitate the rapid development of electric, plug-in or hybrid-electric vehicles, and to better exploit intermittent renewable energy sources (wind, solar) if safety improvements can be achieved while being mindful of materials resources and abundances, as well as materials synthesis and recycling processes, which could inflict a heavy energy cost. Not only are today’s Li-ion batteries based on inorganic insertion compounds that are not environmentally benign, but such materials are produced from ores that are increasingly scarce as well. Thus, electrode materials with a minimal natural footprint made via eco-efficient processes are sorely needed. Aware of such issues, researchers over the last few years have searched for alternatives, namely materials with main components that are naturally abundant, low-cost, and non-toxic.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>We will highlight how moving from bulk to nanomaterials can significantly change electrode properties in order to a) enable insertion reactions in poorly conducting compounds that have been so far disregarded, and <span style="color: red; ">b</span>) trigger novel reactivity mechanisms, such as conversion reactions, with staggering capacity gains. We will also take a fresh look at organic-based electrodes and the possibility of using conjugated dicarboxylate anodes and oxocarbons’ positive electrodes for renewable Li-ion batteries.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left; "><b>About the Speaker</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left; "><b></b></p><b><p class="HTMLBody" style="margin-right: 2.5pt; text-align: justify; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Jean-Marie Tarascon</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> (1953) is presently professor at the University of Picardie (Amiens), but most of his career was done in the USA, first at Cornell University (1980), then at Bell Laboratories and finally at Bellcore until 1994. His field of research lies in the development of new techniques for the synthesis of new electronic materials (new superconductors, new ferroelectrics, new fluoride glasses and new rechargeable batteries materials) for new solid state electronic devices, and relating crystal structure to electronic, optical and magnetic properties.</span></span></p><p class="HTMLBody" style="margin-right: 2.5pt; text-align: justify; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>He is Author of about 63 patents and more than 470 publications, recipient of many awards, the last in line being the Volta Medal, the 2004 “ISI AWARD”, his nomination at the French Academy of Sciences in 2005 and the UPJV gold medalist in 2008.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> </span></span></span></span></span></p></b><div>We hope you will join us!</div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left; ">We thank CERA for its sponsorship of the MITEI Seminar Series.</p></div></div></body></html>