Jeff Sakamoto is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.
And as a matter of fact, yes, Sakamoto is a rocket scientist. Well, at least he worked in the space program. While at the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Sakamoto helped develop the batteries that have kept the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity bopping around the Red Planet's surface long past their sell-by date.
However, Sakamoto said he was a teenage gearhead and has always loved cars. So now he's in Michigan and "back home" in terms of industry, helping develop batteries that will make electric cars a reality (and fun to drive to boot).
Among several areas of research interest, Sakamoto is working on electrode materials that will boost batteries' energy density. He's also working with the Ann Arbor office of A123 Systems, the Massachusetts battery company that bought T/J Technologies, the battery spinoff of University of Michigan professor Levi Thompson and his wife Maria.
Sakamoto is working on electrode coatings that will help batteries discharge and recharge very quickly, crucial to the success of the electric car. He's going beyond traditional solid materials to electrodes built in a honeycomb shape that allows for faster discharging and recharging, as well as greater energy density.
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