Byung Gik Park
Electrical engineering
Hometown: Tempe, Arizona, United States
Graduation date: Spring 2024
Additional details: Transfer student
FURI | Spring 2024
An Investigation of the Effect of Storage Temperature on Secondary Battery Shelf Life through Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the difference in the battery capacity in terms of Remaining Useful Life (RUL), focusing on how these conditions influence battery performance. To assess the electrochemical performance of both fresh and aged batteries, repeated charge-discharge cycles will be conducted. Moreover, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy will be utilized to investigate the thermal performance degradation, with a special emphasis on alterations at the electrode/electrolyte interface. This investigation aims to identify the storage conditions that significantly affect battery lifespan. Additionally, it seeks to explore the differential impacts of these conditions on batteries with varying levels of remaining capacities.
Mentor: Yoon Hwa
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Featured project | Spring 2024
Byung Gik Park, an electrical engineering senior, enjoys taking apart electronics to see how they work. As a student in the FURI program, Park is working with Yoon Hwa, an assistant professor of electrical engineering, to explore how temperature affects battery capacity to help others better understand how to manage these power sources. Park’s research was also sponsored by W. L. Gore & Associates, which provided him with extra funding to pursue his research.
What made you want to get involved in FURI and why did you choose the project you’re working on?
I first learned about FURI when my mentor, Dr. Yoon Hwa, announced that he was recruiting a FURI researcher in class, and I applied for it. Unfortunately, due to the amount of competitive students who applied for the Hwa Research Group, I was not selected as a researcher the first time. However, I was able to work with my mentor as a FURI researcher the following semester.
The project I am currently working on is related to battery life when a battery is exposed to the outdoors for an extended period of time. I chose this project because I was interested in the long-term life of batteries that are or may potentially be exposed to the outdoor climate, especially due to the weather conditions when living in a desert climate like Arizona, and fulfill the increasing demand for electric vehicles.
How will your engineering research project impact the world?
With a climate that gets hotter every year and the growing demand for electric vehicles, many people may wonder if climate has a significant impact on battery life. Although the research did not experiment with batteries used in actual electric vehicles, the results of the project can be referenced as an indicator of the minimum correlation between batteries and climate.
Have there been any surprises in your research?
As in many studies, I was surprised by the theoretical and actual experimental results proving to be different. It made me think back to the beginning and revisit every moment of the experiment, leaving me to question whether it was an error in my experimental procedure, an error in making assumptions or an error in data processing.
How do you see this experience helping with your career or advanced degree goals?
As an undergraduate student, I was very lucky to have the opportunity to plan and research my own project through FURI. The experience gained through FURI will be a great steppingstone for me when I attend graduate school and participate in future research projects. At that time, I will be able to confront problems in a more expert manner due to the experience I gained throughout FURI, allowing me the possibility to make projects of higher quality.
What is the best advice you’ve gotten from your faculty mentor?
When I initially set up the purpose and method of research in detail, I was troubled between the ideal research method I wanted to do and the realistic research method that could be completed within one semester. At that time, my mentor advised me to pursue whatever research I saw as fitting, meaning a research topic that truly piqued my interest. Looking back, partaking in research I favored became a big driving force for me throughout the research process and enabled me to proceed with the project in a more enjoyable and productive manner.
Why should other students get involved in FURI?
FURI is a self-directed research program that provides a more autonomous experience than anything else the Fulton Schools offers to undergraduate students. Through this program, you can focus your research in areas that you are really interested in. It is also an opportunity to build relationships and connections with the Fulton Schools’ top professors involved in the field that will further highlight your research. I highly recommend taking the opportunity to enrich your experience and delve into the field you wish to pursue in your future career.
Sponsored project | Spring 2024
Byung Gik Park’s FURI project is sponsored by W. L. Gore & Associates.
W. L. Gore & Associates is a uniquely creative, product leadership enterprise that has served a variety of global markets for more than 60 years, and provides innovative solutions that its associates stand behind. Gore established funds to support undergraduate students in the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative program and graduate students in the Master’s Opportunity for Research in Engineering program, and values student-driven research and developing relationships with students in the programs.