Project description
New electrolytes to tackle rapid performance decay in zinc-ion batteries
To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, we need cleaner energy and transport systems, which rely on advanced energy storage solutions. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for such applications owing to their affordability, safety and high capacity. However, their performance rapidly decays over time with repeated use. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EuUniv project aims to design optimal eutectic electrolytes to prevent capacity loss in AZIBs. The researcher will use cutting-edge techniques such as X-ray spectroscopy and electron microscopy to understand battery processes, develop better electrolytes and explore their scalability for industrial use.
Objective
The demands of the Paris Agreement mean that we must shift toward a cleaner energy and transportation infrastructure. This requires new energy storage technologies. The rechargeable aqueous zinc battery (AZIB) offers a cheap, sustainable, safe, and high storage capacity solution suitable for complementing the intermittency of renewables, alongside commercial applications spanning transport to flexible ‘smart’ apparel. As a relatively nascent technology, AZIBs unfortunately suffer from fundamental materials chemistry issues, undergoing rapid performance decay over repeated charge/discharge cycles.
I am an experienced researcher in eutectic electrolytes, a type of electrolyte with strong interactions between its constituent components, and I believe they can pose a solution to many of the failures that occur in AZIBs. However, understanding the complexity going on inside an operating battery is notoriously difficult, yet doing so is necessary to unlock the fundamental knowledge required for me to design the ideal electrolyte to combat AZIB capacity fade.
Working with Dr Robertson at Warwick University, I will learn how to perform advanced insitu characterisation of AZIBs, across X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and use them to diagnose these complex processes. This will allow me to design an optimal eutectic electrolyte for AZIBs, which I will then investigate for scale-up feasibility at Warwick’s battery pilot line.
My research objectives:
- Reveal the role of different eutectic electrolyte compositions on the AZB metal anode.
- Diagnose why AZIB cathodes are more robust when cycled with certain eutectic electrolytes
- Design a suitable eutectic electrolyte for a full-cell AZIB, taking into account industrial scale-up considerations.
Supported by gaining technical training in operando electrochemical TEM and X-ray diffraction, in-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and an introduction to pilot-line scale-up of new battery technology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CV4 8UW COVENTRY
United Kingdom
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