Khalil Amine (born 1962) is a materials scientist at

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...

, an Argonne distinguished fellow, and group leader of the Battery Technology group. His research team is focused on the development of advanced battery systems for transportation applications. In addition to his Argonne position, he has appointments at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), formerly known as the University of Dammam, is a public university in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the oldest and leading universities in medicine in the country's Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia ...

, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. For his contributions in the field of electrochemical materials development, Amine was awarded the

Global Energy Prize The Global Energy Prize is an international award in the field of energy industry which is given for ''"outstanding scientific research and scientific-technical developments in the field of energy which promote greater efficiency and environmental ...

in 2019, and Scientific American's Top Worldwide 50 Research Leader Award in 2003. In 2017, Amine was chosen as a Fellow of the

Electrochemical Society The Electrochemical Society is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry solid-state science and related technology. The Society membership comprises ...

. He is the founder and chairman of the Advanced Lithium Battery for Automotive Application (ABAA) global conference.

Early career and education

Amine received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in materials science in 1989 from the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (, ) is a public research university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Talence. There are al ...

in France. After completing his doctorate, Amine did postdoctoral studies at

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

in Belgium. Moving to Japan in the early 1990s, Amine held various positions at Japan Storage Battery Company, the Osaka National Research Institute, and

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

, before moving to

in 1998.

Research

Lithium-Ion battery cathode materials

● In 1996, Amine reported the synthesis and electrochemistry of the ordered

spinel Spinel () is the magnesium/aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula in the cubic crystal system. Its name comes from the Latin word , a diminutive form of ''spine,'' in reference to its pointed crystals. Prop ...

cathode material LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (1996), often called "5V

" known for its cycling stability and high voltage compared to other lithium-ion oxide cathodes. ● Amine and Michael M. Thackeray developed the lithium-ion cathode materials termed

NMC NMC may refer to: Education Institutions * National Music Conservatory, Amman, Jordan * Nehru Memorial College, Sullia, Sullia, Karnataka, India * New Method College, a defunct secondary school in Hong Kong * Northern Marianas College, US Maria ...

(patent issued 2005). NMC is widely used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles including the GM Chevy Volt and Bolt. Later improvements by Amine and Yang Kook Sun from

Hanyang University Hanyang University (HYU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul and Ansan (ERICA campus), South Korea. ''Hanyang'' () derives from the Names of Seoul, former name of the capital Seoul used during the Joseon period. The u ...

, improved the standard NMC cathode performance by creating a gradient composition that increases the surface stability of the material. ● Working with Larry Curtiss, Amine advanced Lithium-air technology through development of a closed oxygen system that reversibly stores energy in the system superoxide (O₂⁻) anion to the peroxide (O₂⁻²) anion. The net reaction is (LiO₂ +Li –-> Li₂O₂).

Honors and awards

* National Academy of Engineering, 2025 * National Academy of Inventors, 2021 * Global Energy Prize, 2019 * Electrochemical Society Battery Research Award, 2019 * International coalition for energy storage and innovation award, 2019 * Elsevier Energy Storage Material Journal Award, Shenzhen, October 2018 * Named Highly-Cited Researcher in 2017, 2018 and 2019 by Clarivate Analytics * Named one of the most cited authors in energy storage between 1998 and 2008 by ScienceWatch * NAATBatt Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017 * US Department of Energy Outstanding Scientist Award, 2013 * International Battery Association Award (2010) * Electrochemical Society Battery Technology Award, 2010 * US Federal Laboratory Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer (2009) * University of Chicago's Board of Governors’ Distinguished Performance Award, 2008 * Scientific American Top Worldwide 50 Research Leader Award, 2003

Memberships and service

* Served in the board of the Committee on fuel economy of light duty vehicles of the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council * Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, 2017 * Fellow of the Hong Kong Hong Kong Institute of Advanced Studies * Member of the American Ceramic Society * Member of the Material Research Society * Member of the American Chemical Society * Chair of the International Meeting on Lithium Batteries * Associate Editor of Nano Energy Journal * Founded the International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications (ABAA) and chaired the conference from 2009 through 2012 * President of IMLB association

Selected patents

* US patent US6420069B2, positive electrode for lithium battery * US patent US7468223B2, lithium metal oxide electrodes for lithium cells and batteries * US8591774B2, Methods for preparing materials for lithium-ion batteries * US patent US9593413B2, Composite materials for battery applications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amine, Khalil 1962 births Living people 20th-century American inventors 21st-century American inventors American materials scientists Argonne National Laboratory people Moroccan chemists University of Bordeaux alumni KU Leuven alumni Moroccan emigrants to the United States 20th-century Moroccan scientists 21st-century Moroccan scientists