Kevin C. White, Ph.D.

Dr. White's core discipline is electrochemistry, with extensive experience in electrochemical energy conversion, analytical chemistry, and materials science. Dr. White consults on a broad range of topics related to chemistry, materials, material processing, and failure analysis. His specialties include battery science, corrosion processes, interfacial chemistry/electrochemistry and fuel cell electrochemistry. Dr. White addresses challenges related to battery technology, including battery-device relationships, battery material selection and testing, cell design and evaluation, performance degradation, and due diligence technology evaluation. His corrosion science practice includes material selection, processing, surface treatment and harsh environment corrosion. In addition, Dr. White consults on fuel cell electrochemistry including enzymatic and biologically based electrochemical conversion schemes.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. White was a Principal Research Scientist at Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI). As a member of the Materials Technology Group, his research and development efforts focused on novel architectures and materials for advanced lithium ion batteries, chemistry and coatings for corrosion inhibition in harsh environments and novel polymer processing techniques. His research yielded patents pending for a metal oxide/conducting polymer composite cathode system for lithium ion batteries and novel electrochemical energy device with power density characteristic of electrochemical capacitors and energy density characteristic of lithium ion batteries. In addition, Dr. White advanced anti-corrosion coatings for mild steel reinforcement in concrete for marine environments and the processing of polymers in functional, application driven nanoscale geometries.

Dr. White is a former NASA Fellow and is an active member of the Electrochemical Society serving as Chairman of the New England Section.

Mikolajczak C, Harmon J, Hayes T, Megerle M, White K, Horn Q, Wu M. Li-ion battery cell failure analysis: The significance of surviving features on copper current collectors in cells that have experienced thermal runaway. Proceedings, 25th International Battery Seminar & Exhibit for Primary & Secondary Batteries, Small Fuel Cells, and Other Technologies, Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 17–20, 2008.

White KC, Miller J, Lennhoff JD. Electrospun nanofiber reinforcement of gossamer space structures. Nonwovens World 2004; 13(1):46.

Pope JM, Sato T, Shoji E, Oyama N, White KC, Buttry DA. Organosulfur/conducting polymer composite cathodes II. Spectroscopic determination of the protonation and oxidations of 2,5-Dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole. Journal of the Electrochemical Society 2002; 149(7):A939.

White KC, Buttry DA. An electrochemical and FTIR spectroscopic study of the aqueous oxidation of quadricyclane and noritricyclanol. Journal of the Electrochemical Society 2000; 147(1):266.

Presentations and Published Abstracts

Horn QC, White KC. Understanding lithium-ion degradation and failure mechanisms by cross-section analysis. 211th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Chicago, IL, Spring 2007.

White KC, Newman A, Boehme J, Middleton C, Pawle R, Middleton E, Lennhoff J, Horn QC, Shao-Horn Y. Anode and cathode templated three-dimensional lithium-ion batteries based on nano-fibrous electrodes. Invited presentation, 208th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Fall 2005.

White KC, Horn QC, Newman A, Salley EJ, Lennhoff JD. Lithium ion batteries based on polymer modified V2O5 cathode materials. Presented at the 206th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Honolulu, HI, October 2004.

White KC, Lennhoff JD, Salley EJ, Horn QC, Pasco-Gardner S, Racoveanu A. Advanced materials for battery applications. Invited Speaker, presented at the 8th Electrochemical Power Sources R&D Symposium, Portsmouth, VA, July 2003.

White KC, Horn QC, Salley E, Lennhoff JD. Three-dimensional cathode materials from electrospinning. Presented at the 204th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Orlando, FL, Fall 2003.

Horn QC, White KC, Shao-Horn Y, Lennhoff JD. Three dimensional lithium ion batteries based on non-woven carbon fabrics. Presented at the 204th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Orlando, FL, Fall 2003.

White KC, Salley EJ, Jayne K, Lennhoff JD. Application of electrospinning to the fabrication and reinforcement of gossamer space structures. Presented at the Annual Technical Conference of The Fiber Society, Natick, MA, October 2002.

White KC, Buttry DA, Torresi RM, Bruno R. Novel V2O5 composites for secondary lithium ion battery applications. Presented at the 196th Electrochemical Society Meeting, Honolulu, HI, October 1999.

White KC, Shouji E, Buttry DA. New approaches to lithium battery cathode material. Presented at the 50th Pittsburgh Conference, Orlando, FL, 1999.

White KC, Buttry DA, Torresi R, Torresi S. Sol-gel synthetic routes to novel lithium ion intercalation materials. Presented at the 217th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, CA, March 1999.

White KC, Buttry DA. Basic electrochemistry of some highly strained hydrocarbons. Presented at the 189th Meeting of the Electrochemical Society, Los Angeles, CA, May 1996.

• Member of the Electrochemical Society, 1996–present
• Chair, New England Section of the Electrochemical Society, 2005–present