Regulate Anode Behaviors in Lithium Metal Batteries | Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries and Supercapacitors

First seminar, at 10 a.m.

Regulate Anode Behaviors in Lithium Metal Batteries

By Ge Li, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Alberta


Abstract

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are considered the most promising energy storage devices for applications such as electric vehicles. Lithium metal is believed the most favorable anode for future batteries owing to its extremely high theoretical specific capacity, low density, and lowest electrochemical potential among potential candidates. However, large-scale deployment of lithium metal anode in practical batteries still requires a scientific breakthrough in solving major challenges of dendrite growth and low plating/stripping efficiency of metallic lithium. To address the issues related to lithium anodes in LMBs, several effective strategies are developed to stabilize Li anodes, including liquid electrolytes, surface coating, solid-state electrolytes, and porous current collectors. In this presentation, I will present our recent work on the materials design and development for next-generation LMBs by focusing on the in-depth understanding of interphase engineering. More specifically, I will discuss: (1) the systematic electrolyte design and (2) the anode construction

Bio

Dr. Ge Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta. Her research interests are in complex material design and synthesis, electrochemical investigation, and device construction for energy conversion and storage. Till now, she has published 1 book chapter and over 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Nature Communications, and Angewandte Chemie, with over 2500 citations with an H-index of 23.

Secund seminar, at 11 a.m.

Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries and Supercapacitors

By Xiaolei Wang, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta

Abstract

Rechargeable battery technologies, particularly lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are playing a dominant role in various applications including electric vehicles, portable electronics and medical tools, as highly efficient power sources. LIBs are usually regarded as clean energy technologies since they realize the conversion between chemical energy and electric energy in a “green” manner without greenhouse gas emissions. On the one hand, many transition metal elements (e.g., Ni, Co, Mn) are utilized in electrode materials, which have significantenvironmental impacts. Moreover, a variety of chemicals (e.g., precursors for electrode materials, organic solvents for electrolytes, etc.) are consumed during battery fabrication, which makes them not “green” and exacerbates environmental deterioration. On the other hand, the uneven distribution of lithium and relevant transition metals reserves globally leads to the high cost of LIBs, while the highly active nature of lithium and the use of volatile organic electrolytes brings huge safety issues. Both high cost and safety concerns make LIBs not only challenging in electric vehicle applications as a power battery technology, but also impracticable for largescale electric energy storage as storage battery technology. For batteries to make real and essential contributions to sustainability, it is highly desired to develop next-generation alternative battery technologies to LIBs with much lower cost and higher reliability. Aqueous batteries and supercapacitors have garnered tremendous research interest due to their high safety. Among candidates, zinc-ion-based energy devices show great promise due to the high theoretical capacity of Zn metal (820 mAh g−1), proper potential (−0.76 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode), water compatibility, and high safety of Zn metal. Despite the advantages, Zn-ion-based energy storage devices are faced with issues from dendritic growth and low Coulombic efficiency in the Zn anode, fast capacity decay at the cathode, and unsatisfactory performance at extreme conditions. In this talk, we utilize electrode and electrolyte engineering to develop rechargeable low-cost Zn-ion batteries and supercapacitors with excellent electrochemical performance not only suitable for large-scale energy storage but also with potential for electric vehicle applications. In addition, we also try
to realize recycling and upcycling of batteries, particularly LIBs, to create a close loop of essential materials towards the circular economy. Our research focus has been focused on the recycling of LIBs electrodes (particularly cathode) by regenerating or upgrading the electrode materials. Moreover, upcycling primary batteries into rechargeable batteries has also been studied.

Bio

Dr. Xiaolei Wang is an associate professor and runs his Nano For Advanced Clean Energy (NanoFACE) laboratory in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta. He is also holding the Canada Research Chair position on Batteries for Sustainability. His research mainly focuses on the rational design, development and application of novel nanostructured materials for energy-related technologies, including lithium (and other alkaline)-ion batteries, lithium-metal batteries, rechargeable aqueous batteries, metal-air batteries, supercapacitors, and electrocatalytic system for water splitting, CO2 reduction and fuel cells. He received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles, and took the postdoctoral training at the University of Waterloo. Prof. Wang is the associate editor/young associate editor of several international journals including Energy & Environmental Materials, Renewables, and Frontiers in Chemistry, and editorial board member of Sustainability: Sustainable Chemistry, and Current Trends in Chemical Engineering and Processing Technology. He has so far published over 100 papers in energy and nanotechnology fields including Nat. Commun., Adv. Mater., Energy Environ. Sci., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Energy Mater., etc., and received a h-index of 40. Prof. Wang serves as a referee for over 60 international journals and many funding agencies, and is the
recipient of the Discovery Accelerator Supplement Grant, Petro-Canada Young Investigator Award, and Concordia University Research Chair-Young Scholar. Prof. Wang has organized, chaired, or co-chaired many national (e.g., CCEC, CCCE) and international (e.g., MRS, ECS, EEST) conferences on energy or materials.