Caleb
Alexander
Battery Engineer. Entrepreneur. Problem Solver.
PhD chemical engineer with 12+ years of experience in battery design. I founded DayLyte Batteries to build and commercialize a next-generation sodium-air battery — from lab synthesis to proof-of-concept cell to manufacturing design. I like hard problems, hands-on engineering, and working with people I can learn from.
Capabilities
What I Do
Electrochemistry
Cell design, electrolyte and electrode development, half- and full-cell testing across aqueous and solid-state systems.
Materials Synthesis
Solid state, sol-gel, colloidal, CVD/PVD, and solution coatings — from gram to kilogram scale.
Cell & Hardware Design
Rapid iteration with CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting, and custom-built lab equipment.
Manufacturing Scale-Up
Process design for rotary kilns, spray dryers, slot-die coaters, fluidized beds, and pick-and-place lines.
IP Strategy
Drafted 17+ patent applications and 12+ SBIR/FOA grants; built portfolios protecting core chemistry and manufacturing.
Problem Solving
200+ customer interviews, techno-economic modeling, and a track record of saving months and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
2019 – Present
DayLyte Batteries
From 2019 to present, I've been building DayLyte Batteries — a sodium-air battery company focused on high energy density storage. I manage 1-3 employees, pitch to investors, talk to suppliers/ partners, and find hacky but smart ways to build this frontier tech.
- Built first-of-its-kind Na-Air proof-of-concept cell — no leaks, no shorts.
- Demonstrated flexible solid electrolyte thin film (30–50 μm) with critical current densities up to 110 mA/cm².
- Awarded DOE STTR grants of $1.5M over Phase I and II.
- Selected for Oak Ridge National Lab Innovation Crossroads ($200K).
- 3 utility patents pending + 14 provisional patents filed.
- Designed a full-scale manufacturing process — rotary kilns, spray dryers, slot-die coaters, fluidized bed reactors and more.
Peer-Reviewed
Research & Publications
- 01
Kurilovich, A.A., Alexander, C.T., Pazhetnov, E.M., Stevenson, K.J. Active Learning-Based Framework for Optimal Reaction Mechanism Selection From Microkinetic Modeling: a Case Study of Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Carbon Nanotubes. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2020, 22 (8), 4581–4591.
- 02
Alexander, C.T., Forslund, R.P., Johnston, K.P., Stevenson, K.J. Tuning Redox Transitions via the Inductive Effect in LaNi₁₋ₓFeₓO₃₋δ Perovskites for High-Power Asymmetric and Symmetric Pseudocapacitors. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2019, 2, 6558–6568.
- 03
Forslund, R.P., Alexander, C.T., Abakumov, A.M., Johnston, K.P., Stevenson, K.J. Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activities by Substitutional Tuning of Nickel-based Ruddlesden-Popper Catalysts for the Oxidation of Urea and Small Alcohols. ACS Catalysis. 2019, 9 (3), 2664–2673.
- 04
Alexander, C.T.*, Mefford, J.T.*, Saunders, J., Forslund, R.P., Johnston, K.P., Stevenson, K.J. Anion-Based Pseudocapacitance of the Perovskite Library La₁₋ₓSrₓBO₃₋δ (B = Fe, Mn, Co). ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 2019, 11, 5084–5094.
- 05
Forslund, R.P., Hardin, W.G., Rong, X., Abakumov, A.M., Filimov, D., Alexander, C.T., Mefford, J.T., Iyer, H., Kolpak, A.M., Johnston, K.P., Stevenson, K.J. Exceptional electrocatalytic oxygen evolution via tunable charge transfer interactions in La₀.₅Sr₁.₅Ni₁₋ₓFeₓO₄₊δ Ruddlesden-Popper oxides. Nat. Comm. 2018, 9 (1), 1–11.
- 06
Alexander, C.T., Abakumov, A.M., Forslund, R.P., Johnston, K.P., Stevenson, K.J. Role of the Carbon Support on the Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Activities in LaNiO₃ Composite Electrodes in Alkaline Solution. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2018, 1, 1549–1558.
- 07
Kim, C., Norberg, N.S., Alexander, C.T., Kostecki, R., Cabana, J. Mechanism of Phase Propagation During Lithiation in Carbon-Free Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ Battery Electrodes. Adv. Func. Mater. 2013, 23 (9), 1214–1222.
14 Filed
Patents
Surface Coatings on Inorganic Particles to Encourage Polymer Adherence for a Particle-Polymer Composite and Increase Particle Stability
U.S. Provisional 63/017,298
Particle-Polymer Composite Membrane as a Solid Electrolyte
U.S. Provisional 62/990,926
Improvements to Metal-Air Batteries
PCT/US22/42351
Smooth, Chemically Resistant Carbon Coatings
U.S. App. 63/437,637
Mesh Electrode for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Metal-Air Batteries
U.S. Provisional 63/533,616
Mesh Electrode for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Metal-Air Batteries and Fuel Cells
U.S. Provisional 63/533,617
Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrode Embedded in Polymer Border for Metal-Air Battery
U.S. Provisional 63/533,618
Soft and Liquid Metal Anode for Fast Charging Batteries
U.S. Provisional 63/533,619
Battery Pack Design for Metal-Air Battery
U.S. Provisional 63/533,620
Magnetohydrodynamics in Oxygen Evolution and Reduction Reaction Electrodes
U.S. Provisional 63/533,621
Porous Membrane on Solid Electrolyte for Hydrogen Protection from OER Electrode
U.S. Provisional 63/533,622
Liquid Cooling System Doubling as Mass Transfer Enhancement in Metal-Air Battery
U.S. Provisional 63/612,285
Interlayer to Preferentially Electrodeposit Metal Anode Within a Carbon Electrode
U.S. Provisional 63/612,315
Expandable Polymer Border Securing Oxygen Reduction Electrode in Metal-Air Battery
U.S. Provisional 63/612,318
Toolkit
Skills
Electrochemistry
Materials
Fabrication
Characterization
Startup & Business
Academic
Education
2014 – 2019
PhD & MS, Chemical Engineering
University of Texas at Austin
Advisors: Prof. Keith J. Stevenson & Prof. Keith P. Johnston
2010 – 2014
BS, Chemical Engineering (with Honors)
University of California, Berkeley
Consulting & Advisory
Work With Me
If you're building in the battery or energy storage space, I'm available for consulting and technical advisory work. Areas I can help with:
Technical due diligence
Evaluating battery startups, technology claims, or IP for investors and acquirers.
Electrochemistry & materials
Cell design, electrolyte development, electrode fabrication, scale-up strategy.
Manufacturing process design
From lab to pilot to production line.
Grant writing & IP strategy
SBIR/STTR applications, patent drafting, FOA responses.
R&D roadmap development
Helping early-stage teams prioritize what to build and prove first.
Interested in working together?
calebta107@gmail.comGet in Touch