Dr. Brian Ingram is a Materials Engineer and interested promoting the development of energy storage and conversion in beyond-Li-ion batteries and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) He is an expert in charge transfer in solid state materials and has extensive experience in materials characterization including conventional and synchrotron radiation measurements such as x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption as well as high temperature solid-state impedance spectroscopy.

Among other activities, Dr. Ingram is the Lead Principal Investigator of the Science of Materials Complexity thrust of the Joint Center for Energy Research (JCESR) centered at Argonne, one of the Department of Energy’s Energy Innovation Hubs. JCESR tackles basic scientific questions and challenges to provide a foundation for disruptive high-performance battery materials that enable a diversity of designer batteries that simultaneously meet apparently anti-correlated performance requirements for the grid and transportation. Dr. Ingram is also the principal investigator of the SOFC Manufacturing project in support of the Office of Fossil Energy to establish key materials properties and tolerances that affect stack performance reliability.

Dr. Brian Ingram is the Group Leader of the Electrochemical Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratory (EADL) and Post-Test Facility, that combine to provide battery performance evaluation and materials characterization analysis of cycled batteries. Dr. Ingram is also the Lead Principal Investigator of the Science of Materials Complexity thrust of the Joint Center for Energy Research (JCESR) centered at Argonne, one of the Department of Energy’s Energy Innovation Hubs.

As a Materials Scientist, Dr. Ingram is interested in developing a deep understanding of materials properties, performance, and structure relationships. He is an expert in charge transfer and transport in solid state materials and has extensive experience in materials characterization including conventional and synchrotron radiation measurements such as x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption as well as high temperature solid-state impedance spectroscopy. Dr. Ingram finds energy storage and conversion technologies incredible interesting since they present a set of very demanding and dynamic conditions in which we need materials to operate. He is dedicated to development and understanding of energy storage and conversion in Li-ion (as well as beyond-Li-ion, e.g., Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ batteries) batteries and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).

The purpose of our research in the EADL is to provide reliable, independent, and unbiased evaluations of battery performance and life and the identification of physical and chemical changes related to reduced performance in aged batteries. At the Post-Test Facility batteries can be disassembled under inert atmospheres. Battery materials (positive, separator, electrolyte, negative) are then characterized without exposure to air to ensure accurate evaluation of the detrimental changes leading to performance degradation.

JCESR tackles basic scientific questions and challenges to provide a foundation for disruptive high-performance battery materials that enable a diversity of designer batteries that simultaneously meet apparently anti-correlated performance requirements for the grid and transportation.