About the Project
Applications are invited to the Engineering Division at the School of Mathematics, UEA, for a PhD in the field of nanotechnology, electrochemistry and manufacturing for energy storage.
The escalating demand for energy has accelerated the development of advanced technologies for high performance energy storage devices/systems (eg, supercapacitors (SCs)) [1] which are critical in applications such as mobile electronics, electric vehicles and home electric power integrated with renewable sources. SCs have demonstrated higher power density, shorter charging time, longer cycle life, and better operational safety compared with some rechargeable batteries [2, 3]. However, practical applications of SCs are still seriously hindered due to the relatively poor performance of the electrode materials, such as low specific capacitance in carbon based materials, poor cycling stability in transition metal oxides, etc [4, 5].
This PhD project aims to research and develop a new and robust manufacturing technology/strategy to scale-up the production of new materials on porous conductive substrate as next generation electrode materials for SCs devices/systems. The PhD candidate will investigate and understand how to optimize the manufacturing/production conditions which can control the physical, electrical and chemical properties of the new electrode materials. The PhD candidate will also determine how the properties of the new electrode materials influence its electrolyte ions diffusion mechanism, conductivity, and structural stability for superior electrochemical properties in three-electrode testing system. Finally, the PhD candidate will evaluate the performance of solid-state SCs devices/systems based on the new materials as the positive electrode, and nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel materials as the negative electrode in terms of specific capacity, rate performance, energy and power densities, and cycle life.
Funding Notes
This PhD project is in a Faculty of Science competition for funded studentships. These studentships are funded for 3 years and comprise home/EU fees, an annual stipend of £14,296 and £1000 per annum to support research training. Overseas applicants may apply but they are required to fund the difference between home/EU and overseas tuition fees (in 2016/17 the difference is £9,679 MTH but fees are subject to an annual increase).
References
1. Bonaccorso, F.; Colombo, L.; Yu, G.; Stoller, M.; Tozzini, V.; Ferrari, A. C.; Ruoff, R. S.; Pellegrini, V., 2D materials. Graphene, related two-dimensional crystals, and hybrid systems for energy conversion and storage. Science 2015, 347 (6217), 1246501.
2. Lei, Z. B.; Lu, L.; Zhao, X. S., The electrocapacitive properties of graphene oxide reduced by urea. Energ Environ Sci 2012, 5 (4), 6391-6399.
3. Yang, X. W.; Cheng, C.; Wang, Y. F.; Qiu, L.; Li, D., Liquid-Mediated Dense Integration of Graphene Materials for Compact Capacitive Energy Storage. Science 2013, 341 (6145), 534-537.
4. Choi, C.; Lee, J. A.; Choi, A. Y.; Kim, Y. T.; Lepro, X.; Lima, M. D.; Baughman, R. H.; Kim, S. J., Flexible Supercapacitor Made of Carbon Nanotube Yarn with Internal Pores. Adv Mater 2014, 26 (13), 2059-2065.
5. Su, D. W.; Dou, S. X.; Wang, G. X., Bismuth: A new anode for the Na-ion battery. Nano Energy 2015, 12, 88-95.