Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems awarded $660,000 to the Regents of the University of California at Riverside under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) as a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Project Grant, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. The award funds fundamental research into materials, electrolyte, and interphase design for rechargeable fluoride-ion batteries—an emerging energy storage technology that utilizes earth-abundant elements such as fluorine, calcium, magnesium, and copper as alternatives to critical minerals with limited supply chains. The research will employ advanced analytical techniques including cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical methods, and synchrotron-based X-ray analysis to investigate solvation structures and interphase formation mechanisms that influence fluoride-ion transport and electrode reversibility.

In addition to research deliverables, the award integrates substantial educational and workforce development components designed to advance scientific training at UC Riverside. The project will establish three new initiatives: National Lab Day to introduce students to research careers, the Nanoscience Educator Workshop to train high school teachers, and a Day in the Lab experience for middle school students. These educational components, combined with undergraduate research mentoring and curriculum development activities, address NSF priorities for workforce development alongside technical innovation in advanced materials and energy storage systems critical to national infrastructure resilience and data center operations.