Project: Advances in the rechargeable batteries for storage of electrical energy have always been the driving force for the improvement of our society, from communications to transportation and electricity delivery. Electrolyte is a critical component and governs the electrochemical performance of rechargeable batteries. This project aims to develop aqueous electrolytes for aqueous zinc and lithium ion batteries, organic electrolytes for lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, and solid-state electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries. As a PhD candidate, you will work on designing new electrolyte systems and synthesizing new chemicals as electrolyte components. You will be trained in electrolytes, battery cell assembly, materials characterization, electrochemical testing, and prototype demonstration via state-of-the-art characterization methods such as in-situ spectroscopy, microscopy, and diffraction techniques. The ultimate goal is to develop long-life, safe, high-energy-density batteries for EVs and grid-scale applications via electrolyte design and engineering.
Supervisors: The project will be supervised by Dr. Jianfeng Mao and Prof. Zaiping Guo. Dr. Jianfeng Mao is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and has published over 90 papers (60+ as the first or corresponding author) in the leading discipline journals, including J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Mater., Energy Environ. Sci., Sci. Adv., and so on. Professor Zaiping Guo is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow and Fellow of Australian Academy of Science. She also served as an Associate Editor for Chemical Sciences. She published more than 400 papers in peer-reviewed Journals, and these publications have been cited >36,000 times with an h-index of 103. Their research focuses on the design and application of electrode and electrolyte materials for energy storage and conversion, including rechargeable batteries, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, and battery recycling.
Facilities: The University of Adelaide has invested multi-millions in new energy storage and in-situ characterisation laboratories. These laboratories have state-of-the-art facilities for materials synthesis, electrochemical testing and analyses e.g. battery charge/discharge testers and electrochemical workstations, and in situ characterizations e.g. in situ Raman and in situ ART-IR. Other facilities are available in the public platform of the School i.e. Raman, FTIR, XRD, EPR, and TGA/TGA-MS. Additional cutting-edge characterization can be conducted in Centre for Advanced Microscopy & Microanalysis. These facilities include FESEM, HRTEM, HADDF-STEM, NMR and XPS.
Student requirements: We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with Master Degree in Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field from reputable universities. The candidate will preferably have a Master degree or work experience in batteries, electrochemistry, organic synthesis.
How to Apply: If you are ready to seize this remarkable opportunity, please submit a comprehensive application including your CV, academic transcripts, and a brief paragraph introducing yourself, your motivation, and your interests to jianfeng.mao@adelaide.edu.au
We look forward to receiving your application.
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