KNOXVILLE, TN – The UT Research Park recently hosted an insightful discussion on battery technology innovation, featuring leading experts from academia and industry. The event, organized by the Spark Innovation Center and Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM), highlighted East Tennessee’s growing leadership in energy storage solutions.

Battery Innovation Strategies

The discussion focused on three distinct approaches to advancing battery technology in a competitive market landscape.

Thomas Zawodzinski, UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair in Electrical Energy Storage, emphasized continuous innovation across materials, design, and manufacturing processes. His research spans advanced fuel cell membranes, redox flow batteries, and metal-air battery systems, with applications extending to chemical detection technologies.

Eonix founder Don DeRosa presented the company’s ATLAS platform for developing custom electrolytes. The technology addresses specific industry requirements while overcoming safety limitations of conventional lithium-ion batteries, serving applications from electric vehicles to grid storage.

AluminAiry‘s founder Brian Washington introduced an alternative approach using aluminum-air chemistry. The company’s battery systems utilize swappable aluminum plates, offering a sustainable solution that leverages one of Earth’s most abundant materials.

Collaborative Innovation Environment

The event underscored the UT Research Park’s role in fostering connections between academic research and commercial applications. The Spark Innovation Center and IAMM provided the platform for this exchange of ideas, demonstrating the region’s capacity to support energy technology development.

Attendees gained insights into the technical and commercial challenges facing battery innovators, along with potential pathways to market success. The discussion highlighted the importance of material science advancements, safety considerations, and sustainable approaches in energy storage.

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About the UT Research Park

Located across the Tennessee River from UT Knoxville, the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm is a 150-acre hub for research, innovation, and economic development. It hosts industry leaders, startups, and academic partnerships focused on advanced materials, energy, AI, mobility, and health. The park’s 365,000 sq. ft. of developed space supports 800+ employees and leverages proximity to UT’s $339M research ecosystem 

Spark Innovation Center

An initiative of the University of Tennessee Research Park at Cherokee Farm, the Spark Innovation Center leverages East Tennessee’s unique science and technology resources to help high-impact startups grow, succeed, and stay in the region. Founded in 2020 and headquartered on a 150-acre innovation campus, Spark drives commercialization in cleantech, advanced materials, and biomedical fields through three core programs: the Spark Cleantech Accelerator, a 12-week business acceleration initiative; the Spark Incubator, a two-year residency with subsidized lab space; and the Spark Scholars, a talent pipeline partnering with UT’s Center for Materials Processing to provide cost-shared interns for startups 

Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM)

Located on the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm, the IAMM building is a 140,000 sq. ft. research hub advancing materials science and manufacturing technologies. The facility houses specialized laboratories, industry partnership spaces, and collaborative zones where UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers develop next-generation solutions for energy, quantum computing, and sustainable manufacturing.