Federal Executive Branch
Here's a look at documents from the U.S. Executive Branch
Featured Stories
State Dept.: Finland Joins Pax Silica Initiative
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release on April 16, 2026:
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Finland Joins Pax Silica Initiative
On April 16, Finland joined the Pax Silica Initiative, hailing a growing geopolitical consensus that economic security is national security and national security is economic security. Finland brings to Pax Silica key capabilities in trusted technology such as advanced mobile communications, AI, and critical mineral mining and processing.
Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto signed the Pax Silica Declaration reflecting Finland's joining
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WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release on April 16, 2026:
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Finland Joins Pax Silica Initiative
On April 16, Finland joined the Pax Silica Initiative, hailing a growing geopolitical consensus that economic security is national security and national security is economic security. Finland brings to Pax Silica key capabilities in trusted technology such as advanced mobile communications, AI, and critical mineral mining and processing.
Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto signed the Pax Silica Declaration reflecting Finland's joiningPax Silica. The United States and Finland affirmed their commitment to continue identifying opportunities to strengthen the partnership in emerging technologies and to delivering economic growth. The United States and Finland will continue their economic partnership based on trust, shared interest, and a desire for both countries to remain at the cutting edge of the global AI revolution.
The United States welcomed Finland as the fourteenth Pax Silica signatory. It joins fellow signatories Australia, India, Israel, Japan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Pax Silica is a positive-sum partnership of nations who want to remain competitive and prosperous.
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Original text here: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/04/finland-joins-pax-silica-initiative/
State Dept.: Expanding Visa Restriction Policy to Protect U.S. Interests in the Western Hemisphere
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release on April 16, 2026:
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Expanding Visa Restriction Policy to Protect U.S. Interests in the Western Hemisphere
President Trump's National Security Strategy makes clear: this Administration will deny adversarial powers the ability to own or control vital assets or threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our region. The Department of State is working to advance American leadership in our hemisphere, protect our homeland, and ensure access to vital routes and areas throughout our region.
Today,
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WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release on April 16, 2026:
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Expanding Visa Restriction Policy to Protect U.S. Interests in the Western Hemisphere
President Trump's National Security Strategy makes clear: this Administration will deny adversarial powers the ability to own or control vital assets or threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our region. The Department of State is working to advance American leadership in our hemisphere, protect our homeland, and ensure access to vital routes and areas throughout our region.
Today,in support of this critical objective, the Department of State is announcing a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets those working on behalf of U.S. adversaries to undermine our national interests in our hemisphere including regional security and democratic sovereignty. This expanded policy enables us to restrict U.S. visas for nationals of countries in our region who, while within Western Hemisphere countries and while intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries, their agents, or enterprises, knowingly direct, authorize, fund, or provide significant support to, or carry out activities that are adversarial to and undermine America's interests in our hemisphere. These individuals - and their immediate family members - will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States.
Activities include but are not limited to: enabling adversarial powers to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources in our hemisphere; destabilizing regional security efforts; undermining American economic interests; and conducting influence operations designed to undermine the sovereignty and stability of nations in our region.
To demonstrate our commitment to this expanded policy, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities. The Trump Administration will use every available tool to protect our national security interests, defend American interests, and promote our region's safety and prosperity.
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These actions are being taken pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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Original text here: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/04/expanding-visa-restriction-policy-to-protect-u-s-interests-in-the-western-hemisphere/
SEC Commissioner Uyeda Issues Statement at the Roundtable on Options
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following remarks on April 16, 2026, by Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda at the roundtable on options:
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Good morning. Thank you to the Division of Trading and Markets (the "Division") and other staff of the Commission for organizing this roundtable on options market structure.[1] Many thanks to our participants, who have taken the time to join us today. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
For as long as I can remember, equity market structure - and to a lesser extent, fixed income market structure, has taken center
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WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following remarks on April 16, 2026, by Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda at the roundtable on options:
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Good morning. Thank you to the Division of Trading and Markets (the "Division") and other staff of the Commission for organizing this roundtable on options market structure.[1] Many thanks to our participants, who have taken the time to join us today. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
For as long as I can remember, equity market structure - and to a lesser extent, fixed income market structure, has taken centerstage in the Commission's public and regulatory dialogue. In fact, over the years, we have convened advisory committees in both of those areas. Issues like fragmentation, concentration, data asymmetries, and uneven execution quality have been studied extensively on the equity side. But data recently released by the Commission makes clear that many of the concerns long debated in equities exist to an even greater degree in options.[2]
During the last ten years, the options landscape has transformed dramatically. Growth in retail participation, particularly in short dated and ultra short dated strategies, has reshaped order flow dynamics, execution pathways, and the economics of liquidity provision. These developments should cause us to reconsider the assumptions behind our existing regulations. For example, how does the increasing fragmentation--15 exchanges with >1% market share--affect the execution quality of retail marketable orders?
We should also consider issues in the institutional space--such as the practical effects of market maker entitlements, data asymmetries, and competitive barriers. Do today's institutional market makers still require the types of incentives and entitlements that exist in current floor auction rules? Or has the market evolved to a point where those mechanisms should be revisited?
The Commission should optimize regulations for all types of market participants, including individuals who are often the beneficiaries of institutional investors. I look forward to public feedback on how our rules can be modernized to strengthen execution quality, enhance competition, and ensure the options market can effectively serve investors, institutions, and issuers alike. The data is clear--and the moment is right--for thoughtful, measured reform. I thank Chairman Atkins for convening this options market structure roundtable.
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[1] My remarks today reflect my views as an individual Commissioner and not necessarily the views of the full Commission or my fellow Commissioners.
[2] See Division of Trading and Markets, Roundtable on Options Market Structure--Supporting Data (April 9, 2026), available at https://www.sec.gov/files/roundtable-options-market-structure.pdf.
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Original text here: https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/uyeda-statement-roundtable-options-041626
National Park Service Announces Laurel Racine as Superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release:
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National Park Service Announces Laurel Racine as Superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- The National Park Service has selected Laurel Racine as superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in Massachusetts. Racine assumed her new role on February 9, 2026.
"I am honored to join the team at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and to support it as a place where industry, commerce and culture come together,"
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WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release:
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National Park Service Announces Laurel Racine as Superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- The National Park Service has selected Laurel Racine as superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in Massachusetts. Racine assumed her new role on February 9, 2026.
"I am honored to join the team at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and to support it as a place where industry, commerce and culture come together,"said Superintendent Racine. "I look forward to working with park staff and community partners to share the stories of this historic port city and ensure it remains welcoming and accessible to visitors from across the country."
Racine brings nearly 25 years of National Park Service experience in cultural resource management, interpretive exhibit development and park operations. Most recently, she led the Northeast Region's Cultural Resources Program. Her previous roles include managing the region's History & Preservation Assistance team and serving as cultural resource manager at Lowell National Historical Park, where she led development of the award-winning One City, Many Cultures exhibit. She also served as senior curator for research and planning at the Northeast Museum Services Center. Her additional experience includes acting superintendent assignments at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and Adams National Historical Park, as well as site manager at Boston African American National Historic Site.
Racine holds a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, a certificate in museum studies from Tufts University and a master's degree in early American culture from the Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware. She is also a published author, most recently contributing a chapter to Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites (2024). She lives in the Greater Boston area with her husband and two college-age children.
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Original text here: https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/news/national-park-service-announces-laurel-racine-as-superintendent-of-new-bedford-whaling-national-historical-park.htm
FCC Media Bureau Establishes Pleading Cycle For Application For Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Television Licenses From INYO Broadcast Licenses
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau issued the following public notice (MB Docket No. 26-85) on April 16, 2026:
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On April 16, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) accepted for filing an application seeking consent to the assignment of 23 broadcast television station licenses from INYO Broadcast Licenses, LLC (INYO), to ION Television License, LLC, a subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company (Scripps, and, together with INYO, Applicants)./1
The Commission's National Television Multiple Ownership Rule prohibits a single entity from
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WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau issued the following public notice (MB Docket No. 26-85) on April 16, 2026:
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On April 16, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) accepted for filing an application seeking consent to the assignment of 23 broadcast television station licenses from INYO Broadcast Licenses, LLC (INYO), to ION Television License, LLC, a subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company (Scripps, and, together with INYO, Applicants)./1
The Commission's National Television Multiple Ownership Rule prohibits a single entity fromowning television stations that, in the aggregate, reach more than 39% of the total television households in the United States, after taking into account a 50% discount to UHF stations./2 The Applicants state that post-transaction, Scripps would serve 40.29% of the national audience, and, therefore, seek a waiver of the National Television Multiple Ownership Rule./3
The Commission's Local Television Ownership Rule/4 permits common ownership of two television stations in a single Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA) without restriction./5 However, the Applicants seek a waiver of the Commission's Local Television Ownership Rule with respect to the following eight DMAs in which Scripps proposes to own more than two full power television stations:/6
* Phoenix: KNXV-TV, Phoenix Arizona; KASW(TV), Phoenix Arizona; and KPPX-TV, Tolleson, Arizona.
* Detroit: WXYZ-TV, Detroit, Michigan; WMYD(TV), Detroit, Michigan; and WPXDTV, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
* Denver: KMGH-TV, Denver, Colorado; KCDO-TV, Sterling, Colorado; and KPXC-TV, Denver, Colorado.
* Cleveland-Akron (Canton): WEWS-TV, Cleveland, Ohio; WDLI-TV, Canton, Ohio; and WVPX-TV, Akron, Ohio.
* Kansas City: KSHB-TV, Kansas City, Missouri; KMCI-TV, Lawrence, Kansas; and KPXE-TV, Kansas City, Missouri.
* West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce: WPTV-TV, West Palm Beach, Florida; WHDT(TV), Stuart, Florida; and WPXP-TV, Lake Worth, Florida.
* Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News: WTKR(TV), Norfolk, Virginia; WGNT(TV), Portsmouth, Virginia; and WPXV-TV, Norfolk, Virginia.
* Lexington: WLEX-TV, Lexington, Kentucky; WTVQ-DT, Lexington, Kentucky; WUPX-TV, Richmond, Kentucky./7
EX PARTE STATUS OF THIS PROCEEDING
In order to assure the staff's ability to discuss and obtain information needed to resolve the issues presented by this Public Notice and pursuant to section 1.1200(a) of the Commission's rules (Rules),/8 we establish a docket for this proceeding and announce that the ex parte procedures applicable to permit-butdisclose proceedings will govern our consideration of these applications./9
The proceeding in this Public Notice shall be treated as a "permit-but-disclose" proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules./10 Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter's written comments, memoranda, or other filings in the proceeding, then the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum./11 Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with section 1.1206(b) of the Rules./12 Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules./13 We strongly urge parties to use the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) to file ex parte submissions. All ex parte filings must be clearly labeled as such and must reference MB Docket No. 26-85.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The application for assignment of licenses referred to in this Public Notice has been accepted for filing upon initial review. The Commission reserves the right to return any application if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the Commission's Rules or policies. Interested persons must file petitions to deny no later than May 18, 2026. Oppositions to petitions to deny must be filed no later than June 2, 2026. Replies must be filed no later than June 12, 2026. Persons and entities that properly file petitions to deny become parties to the proceeding.
To allow the Commission to consider fully all substantive issues regarding the application in as timely and efficient a manner as possible, petitioners and commenters should raise all issues in their initial filings. Replies may only address matters raised in oppositions.14
All filings concerning matters referenced in this Public Notice should refer to MB Docket No. 26-85.
Submissions in this matter must be filed electronically (i.e., through ECFS) or by filing paper copies.
* Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs.
* Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. Filings can be sent by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
o Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701.
o U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554.
o Hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary are accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by the FCC's mailing contractor at 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building.
In addition, one copy of each submission must be sent to the following:
* David Brown, Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau, e-mail David.Brown@fcc.gov
* Chris Robbins, Deputy Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau, e-mail Chris.Robbins@fcc.gov
* Jeremy Miller, Video Division, Media Bureau, e-mail Jeremy.Miller@fcc.gov
* Joel Rabinovitz, Transaction Team, Office of General Counsel, e-mail Joel.Rabinovitz@fcc.gov
Any submission that is e-mailed to David Brown, Chris Robbins, Jeremy Miller, and Joel Rabinovitz should include in the subject line of the e-mail: (1) MB Docket No. 26-85; (2) the name of the submitting party; (3) a brief description or title identifying the type of document being submitted (e.g., MB Docket No. 26-85, Assignment of INYO Licenses, Ex Parte Notice).
Availability of Documents. Applications in this proceeding are available electronically through LMS at the file numbers in the Attachment. Any petitions to deny, oppositions, replies, and ex parte submissions will be publicly available online via ECFS.
People with Disabilities. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).
For further information, contact David Brown at (202) 418-1645 or Jeremy Miller at (202) 418-1507. For press inquiries, contact Nancy Murphy at (202) 418-1043 or Nancy.Murphy@fcc.gov.
This action is taken by the Chief, Media Bureau, pursuant to authority delegated by sections 0.61 and 0.283 of the Commission's rules.15
By: Chief, Media Bureau
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Attachment
Call Sign ... Facility ID No. ... Community of License ... LMS File No.
KPXO-TV ... 77483 ... KANEOHE, HI ... 0000290962
WPXP-TV ... 27290 ... LAKE WORTH, FL ... 0000290963
WPXH-TV ... 73312 ... HOOVER, AL ... 0000290964
WPXV-TV ... 67077 ... NORFOLK, VA ... 0000290965
WGPX-TV ... 65074 ... BURLINGTON, NC ... 0000290966
KPXE-TV ... 33337 ... KANSAS CITY, MO ... 0000290967
WHPX-TV ... 51980 ... NEW LONDON, CT ... 0000290968
WCLJ-DT ... 68007 ... BLOOMINGTON, IN ... 0000290969
WIPX-TV ... 10253 ... BLOOMINGTON, IN ... 0000290970
WLWC ... 3978 ... NEW BEDFORD, MA ... 0000290971
KPXC-TV ... 68695 ... DENVER, CO ... 0000290972
KOPX-TV ... 2566 ... OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ... 0000290973
KTRV-TV ... 28230 ... NAMPA, ID ... 0000290974
WPXD-TV ... 5800 ... ANN ARBOR, MI ... 0000290975
WPXX-TV ... 21726 ... MEMPHIS, TN ... 0000290976
WVPX-TV ... 70491 ... AKRON, OH ... 0000290977
KPPX-TV ... 26655 ... TOLLESON, AZ ... 0000290978
WDLI-TV ... 67893 ... CANTON, OH ... 0000290979
KGPX-TV ... 81694 ... SPOKANE, WA ... 0000290980
WZPX-TV ... 71871 ... BATTLE CREEK, MI ... 0000290981
WPXJ-TV ... 2325 ... BATAVIA, NY ... 0000290982
WYPX-TV ... 13933 ... AMSTERDAM, NY ... 0000290983
WUPX-TV ... 23128 ... RICHMOND, KY ... 0000290984
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Footnotes:
1/ The application is available in the Commission's Licensing and Management System (LMS) at https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicSearchLanding.html. See LMS File No. 0000290962 et seq. (Application). A complete list of the stations is provided in the Attachment. There are no non-broadcast registrations or authorizations requiring a separate assignment application.
2/ See 47 CFR Sec. 73.3555(e)(1)-(2).
3/ See Application, Comprehensive Exhibit (Comp. Exh.) at 5.
4/ 47 CFR Sec. 73.3555(b) (vacated in part by Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri, Inc. v. FCC, et al., 145 F.4th 828 (8th Cir. 2025)).
5/ See Letter from Chief, Video Division, to Sinclair, Inc., et al., Letter Order, DA 26-108 (MB Feb. 3, 2026).
6/ See Application, Comp. Exh. at 3.
7/ An application seeking consent to the assignment of the license of WTVQ-DT from WTVQ-TV, LLC, to a subsidiary of Scripps remains pending. See LMS File No. 0000294404.
8/ 47 CFR Sec. 1.1200(a).
9/ See 47 CFR Sec. 1.1206.
10/ 47 CFR Sec. 1.1200 et seq.
11/ Id.
12/ 47 CFR Sec. 1.1206(b).
13/ 47 CFR Sec. 1.1200 et seq.
14/ 47 CFR Sec. 1.45(c).
15/ 47 CFR Sec.Sec. 0.61; 0.283.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-376A1.pdf
CPSC Issues Recall Alert Involving Fengrong Tool Electric Pressure Washers
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the following recall alert on April 16, 2026:
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Name of Product: Fengrong Tool Electric Pressure Washers
Hazard: The recalled pressure washers lack an integral ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI), posing a serious risk of injury or death from shock and electrocution hazards.
Remedy: Refund
Recall Date: April 16, 2026
Units: About 500
Consumer Contact: Fengrong Tool by email at fengrongservice@163.com.
Recall Details
Description: This recall involves Fengrong Tool electric pressure washers. The recalled electric
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the following recall alert on April 16, 2026:
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Name of Product: Fengrong Tool Electric Pressure Washers
Hazard: The recalled pressure washers lack an integral ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI), posing a serious risk of injury or death from shock and electrocution hazards.
Remedy: Refund
Recall Date: April 16, 2026
Units: About 500
Consumer Contact: Fengrong Tool by email at fengrongservice@163.com.
Recall Details
Description: This recall involves Fengrong Tool electric pressure washers. The recalled electricpressure washers were sold in orange or green with black, measuring about 25.5 inches high, 12 inches wide and 11 inches deep. They came with a touch screen feature, five nozzles, and either a two-wheel or four-wheel configuration. "High pressure washer" is printed on the sides of the pressure washers.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled pressure washers immediately and contact Fengrong Tool for a full refund. Consumers will be asked to destroy the pressure washer by cutting the unplugged power cord and send a photo of the destroyed power washer to fengrongservice@163.com. Consumers should then dispose of the destroyed recalled product.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported
Sold Online At: Amazon.com from October 2025 through January 2026 for between $80 and $130.
Retailer: Ningboaonadianzishangwuyouxiangongsi., dba Fengrong Tool, of China
Manufactured In: China
Recall number: 26-421
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Original text here: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Fengrong-Tool-Recalls-Pressure-Washers-Due-to-Serious-Risk-of-Injury-or-Death-from-Shock-and-Electrocution-Hazards
Argonne Scientists Discover How to Boost Solid-State Battery Energy Density and Longevity
ARGONNE, Illinois, April 17 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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Argonne scientists discover how to boost solid-state battery energy density and longevity
High-speed mixing can vastly improve battery system performance, a promising benefit for automotive and aviation applications
All-solid-state batteries promise to be lighter and safer than today's batteries for transportation. Argonne scientists have discovered a way to boost their performance, bringing them one step closer to commercialization.
*
Imagine a battery
... Show Full Article
ARGONNE, Illinois, April 17 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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Argonne scientists discover how to boost solid-state battery energy density and longevity
High-speed mixing can vastly improve battery system performance, a promising benefit for automotive and aviation applications
All-solid-state batteries promise to be lighter and safer than today's batteries for transportation. Argonne scientists have discovered a way to boost their performance, bringing them one step closer to commercialization.
*
Imagine a batterythat stores more power, lasts longer, and remains safe even under stress. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago have discovered how to boost the energy density and cycle life of the power cells that form the core of all-solid-state batteries. This next-generation battery technology holds promise for transforming transportation.
The team's approach added hundreds of charge-discharge cycles to the total life of the batteries while also significantly increasing the energy density -- two essential steps on the road to commercial applications.
As the name implies, all-solid-state batteries consist of solid components. Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, they don't contain liquid or gel materials. But, like all batteries, they contain a cathode (positive electrode) and an anode (negative electrode), which are separated by an electrolyte (the material through which ions flow).
All-solid-state batteries offer several advantages over traditional batteries. These include improved safety, lighter weight, longer lifespans and higher energy density, which is the amount of energy a battery can store and provide relative to its mass.
However, developing all-solid-state batteries has been challenging due to poor connections between the solid electrolyte and the cathode material. This poor connection -- called the interface -- can hold back the flow of ions and reduce their performance.
"Addressing interfaces in solid-state batteries is the key to enabling this promising system," said Khalil Amine, an Argonne Distinguished Fellow and professor at the University of Chicago.
Amine and Argonne chemist Guiliang Xu led a team focused on improving the performance of all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries and batteries with similar chemistries. They found that by rapidly mixing the solid electrolyte, cathode and other battery materials, they could trigger a process known as "halide segregation." During halide segregation, lithium atoms that are bound to chlorine, bromine or a similar element move to the interface.
The researchers discovered that halide-segregated batteries performed substantially better and lasted longer than untreated batteries. They also outperformed all-solid-state batteries treated with other types of performance-boosting strategies, such as adding catalysts, dopants or surface coatings.
"This work represents a big advancement for this type of battery system, in particular for how we've markedly improved energy density, cycle life and cost by using earth-abundant sulfur," Xu said.
In some cases, the energy density of halide-segregated batteries even surpassed the theoretical limits for this type of battery. Additionally, the batteries maintained full performance even after 100 charge-discharge cycles. After 450 cycles, performance stayed above 80%.
"This is a remarkable extension of performance in all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries," Xu said.
The researchers observed this improved performance at room temperature, with no additional heating needed, which could make this approach easier to adopt for commercial applications.
The team believes they achieved halide segregation in their battery experiments because the high-speed mixing method they used -- 2,000 revolutions per minute for five hours -- generated heat and shear forces within the battery components. This induced a "mechanochemical reaction" that triggered halide segregation and improved lithium-ion movement during battery use.
"It's a very simple process but with big science happening inside," Xu said.
The scientists found the process also boosts the performance of other types of all-solid-state batteries. The team originally focused on all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries because their cathodes contain sulfur, a relatively abundant material. But they also tested batteries with cathodes made from selenium and tellurium, which are rarer elements that react similarly to sulfur, and saw similar halide segregation and better performance after high-speed mixing.
This suggests that high-speed mixing could solve interface problems in other all-solid-state batteries, elevating multiple battery chemistries on the journey to commercial use.
To observe halide segregation at the atomic level, the team used multiple advanced techniques, including cryogenic transmission electron microscopy at the Center for Nanoscale Materials and X-ray absorption spectra mapping at the Advanced Photon Source, two DOE Office of Science user facilities at Argonne.
Additional experiments were performed at the National Synchrotron Light Source II at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, also DOE Office of Science user facilities.
The team published its findings in Science (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt1882). Co-lead authors on the paper are former Argonne postdoctoral researcher Jieun Lee, now at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and Argonne visiting graduate researcher Shiyuan Zhou. Additional authors are Victoria Ferrari, Chen Zhao, Angela Sun, Yuzi Liu, Chengjun Sun and Wenqian Xu at Argonne; Sarah Nicholas, Dominik Wierzbicki, Jianming Bai and Yonghua Du at Brookhaven; and Dilworth Parkinson of Berkeley Lab.
The research was funded by the DOE's Transportation Technologies Office.
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About Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials
The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE's Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance.
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About the Advanced Photon Source
The U. S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory is one of the world's most productive X-ray light source facilities. The APS provides high-brightness X-ray beams to a diverse community of researchers in materials science, chemistry, condensed matter physics, the life and environmental sciences, and applied research. These X-rays are ideally suited for explorations of materials and biological structures; elemental distribution; chemical, magnetic, electronic states; and a wide range of technologically important engineering systems from batteries to fuel injector sprays, all of which are the foundations of our nation's economic, technological, and physical well-being. Each year, more than 5,000 researchers use the APS to produce over 2,000 publications detailing impactful discoveries, and solve more vital biological protein structures than users of any other X-ray light source research facility. APS scientists and engineers innovate technology that is at the heart of advancing accelerator and light-source operations. This includes the insertion devices that produce extreme-brightness X-rays prized by researchers, lenses that focus the X-rays down to a few nanometers, instrumentation that maximizes the way the X-rays interact with samples being studied, and software that gathers and manages the massive quantity of data resulting from discovery research at the APS.
This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. DOE Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
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Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
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The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.
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Original text here: https://www.anl.gov/article/argonne-scientists-discover-how-to-boost-solidstate-battery-energy-density-and-longevity
