I am a battery research scientist based in the greater Philadelphia area, United States.
I currently work as a global technical project leader for new product development at The Chemours Company. I am the subject matter expert focused on advanced binder development for solvent-free electrode manufacturing, specifically for battery cathode applications including LFP, NMC, and next-generation materials (ie. LNMO). In this video, I briefly describe what I do at the Chemours Battery Innovation Center (CBIC).
Working on polymer (electro)chemistry and processing in dry coating technology has been intellectually challenging and rewarding. I have developed novel characterization methods for fluoropolymer materials in batteries, designed and executed systematic studies to probe binder impacts on process-property-performance relationships in electrode compositions, and delivered new products to meet customer requirements. My time in industry has given me valuable perspective to improve as a scientific communicator. I have contributed to federal grants valuing >$350M for manufacturing advanced fluoropolymers domestically, written user proposals for national lab beam time, and find joy in continuing to hone my ability to communicate science to professionals, students, and the broader community.
Interested in dry-coating technology? Check out this paper that I co-authored with other technical experts, including Prof. Shirley Meng.
My professional contributions have yielded much success. I was invited as a technical expert to speak at the Dry Battery Electrode Forum in Uzwil, Switzerland (Feb. 2023), discussing advanced fluoropolymer development for dry coating technology. And it is always an honor to return to my undergraduate alma mater (UNC Chapel Hill) to speak at events, such as the UNC Women+ in Chemistry Celebration (Oct. 2024). Participating in professional conferences and seminars have rewarded me with an active community of advisors, peer mentors, allies and friends!
Prior to accepting my industry position, I earned a PhD in Chemistry at Virginia Tech under the advisement of Dr. Feng Lin. I defended my dissertation (Sept. 2021) entitled, Understanding the Chemistries of Ni-rich Layered Oxide Materials for Applications in Lithium Batteries and Catalysis. I conceptualized strategies to mitigate battery safety concerns by deciphering oxygen and electron transfer pathways. I used model transition metal oxide systems with novel electrochemical methods to decouple chemical and electrochemical decomposition routes. During my tenure as a PhD student, I was awarded with the Margot Sebba Scholarship in Inorganic Chemistry (2017), the BatteryMBA Scholarship (2021), and the Virginia Tech Graduate School Doctoral Assistantship (2021).
A list of my publications/patents can be found on Google Scholar.
I earned a MS in Chemistry at UNC Charlotte under the advisement of Dr. Thomas A. Schmedake, with a thesis entitled Bis(bipyridyl) silicon(IV) diols as Potential Dual Hydrogen Bond Donors for Catalysis. I leaned on my catalysis roots at the beginning of my doctoral studies. It was such an honor to be asked to co-author a textbook (May 2019) with my PhD advisor entitled Nanoparticle Design and Characterization for Catalytic Applications in Sustainable Chemistry. You can read more about my journey to Dr. Waters in this blog post. The beginning of my journey as a chemist started at UNC Chapel Hill. The day I graduated (2014) with a BA in Chemistry was one of the happiest days of my life.
Photo credit: Keenan Hairston
Check out the text book chapters, including Plasmonic Photocatalysts for Environmental Applications and Nanoparticle and Nanocomposites Design in Photocatalysis.
While I spend a significant amount of time questioning scientific principles and trying to solve complex problems, life requires balance. I enjoy making time to be creative. For example, I’m a self-taught knitter, a classically-trained pianist, a reader, and growing daily as a writer/content creator. I love traveling, meeting new people, interacting with students and inquisitive minds. But most importantly, the time spent with those I call family is most precious! North Carolina is where I was raised; it is where my parents still reside. It is a place that I will always call HOME!
Photo credit: Keenan Hairston
Dr. Crystal K. Waters 