Energy storage

Energy usage is experiencing a large and fast shift toward electricity as the main power source. Reversible storage and release of electricity is an essential technology, driven by the needs of portable consumer electronics and medical devices, electric vehicles, and electric grids, as well as the emerging Internet of Things and wearable technologies. We are exploiting 0D, 1D and 2D nanomaterials design and synthesis strategies to improve the electrode material performance for battery and supercapacitor applications. We are specifically interested in the development of inorganic layered materials including oxides, chalcogenides, MOFs and MXenes. Exploiting the unique characteristics of various nanomaterials and synergies between them, supported by advanced in-situ characterization techniques is therefore the theme of our ambitious multidisciplinary research, with a view towards real world applications. We are also investigating different cell designs including hybrid capacitors and mobile ion capacitors.

At present, portable devices mainly rely on micro-batteries and micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) as power sources. Typically, they can be integrated with miniaturized electronic devices and provide themwith the required power and energy for a period of time. In particular, MSC shave generated more and more interest in certain fields require long lifetimeand fast charge/discharge rate. We are developing solution-processing, functionalization and microfabrication strategies of the above-mentioned low-dimensional nanomaterials to fabricate microsupercapacitors, and integrate them with sensors for self-powered microsystems.