Advanced Nanostructured Ceramic Composites for Ultracapacitors. The global climate changes and the related disastrous events such as heat flows, bushfires, and flooding will endanger the Australian population and our natural environment. The implementation of effective devices and technologies to reduce our carbon footprint is a priority task. The project addresses the issue by development of new ultracapacitor materials for next generation green energy storage devices through engineering and im ....Advanced Nanostructured Ceramic Composites for Ultracapacitors. The global climate changes and the related disastrous events such as heat flows, bushfires, and flooding will endanger the Australian population and our natural environment. The implementation of effective devices and technologies to reduce our carbon footprint is a priority task. The project addresses the issue by development of new ultracapacitor materials for next generation green energy storage devices through engineering and implementation of advanced nanoceramics and nanocomposites created by innovative nanotechnologies. The project will also contribute to other national research priorities such as materials and frontier technologies, reduction of atmospheric pollution, and decrease in the energy dependence of our country on oil.Read moreRead less
Sodium-Metal-Free, Safe and Sustainable Sodium-Ion Sulfur Batteries. This project aims to develop sodium sulfide cathodes via effective single-atom catalysts and elaborately regulate the solid-electrolyte interphase on the anode by using a new class of electrolytes. Thus, the obtained low-cost, high-energy, safe sodium-ion sulfur batteries can serve as a novel technique for large-scale stationary energy storage, especially for intermittent solar and wind energy storage in Australia. Expected out ....Sodium-Metal-Free, Safe and Sustainable Sodium-Ion Sulfur Batteries. This project aims to develop sodium sulfide cathodes via effective single-atom catalysts and elaborately regulate the solid-electrolyte interphase on the anode by using a new class of electrolytes. Thus, the obtained low-cost, high-energy, safe sodium-ion sulfur batteries can serve as a novel technique for large-scale stationary energy storage, especially for intermittent solar and wind energy storage in Australia. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding and a breakthrough in advances of innovative and affordable battery storage technology, leading to significant scientific, economic, environmental, and social benefits to Australia by integrating this battery system with renewable energy.Read moreRead less
Development of nonvolatile fast proton-transport materials. There are many problems with existing proton-transport materials for emerging fuel cell applications such as electric vehicles. A high proton conductivity and high thermal stability are some of the requirements for fuel cell electrolytes. The aims of this project are to develop nonvolatile proton-transport matrices based on zwitterionic liquids with various acids, develop polymer gel materials based on these, and characterize these ne ....Development of nonvolatile fast proton-transport materials. There are many problems with existing proton-transport materials for emerging fuel cell applications such as electric vehicles. A high proton conductivity and high thermal stability are some of the requirements for fuel cell electrolytes. The aims of this project are to develop nonvolatile proton-transport matrices based on zwitterionic liquids with various acids, develop polymer gel materials based on these, and characterize these new proton-transport materials by analyzing ionic conductivity, viscosity, thermal behaviors, and their interrelationships.Read moreRead less
First principles for development of novel hybrid electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. Electrochemical energy is regarded as an alternative green energy/power source. The breakthrough technologies to be developed will allow us to realise the great goal of widespread usage of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, inducing dramatic improvements to our environment. It will also help us to reduce our dependence on the current oil-driven economy, and increase national energ ....First principles for development of novel hybrid electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. Electrochemical energy is regarded as an alternative green energy/power source. The breakthrough technologies to be developed will allow us to realise the great goal of widespread usage of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, inducing dramatic improvements to our environment. It will also help us to reduce our dependence on the current oil-driven economy, and increase national energy security and energy independence. The project will establish indigenous expertise and scientific know-how on electrochemical energy storage and conversion technology. The competitive results from this research will provide an incentive to the Australian automobile and energy industries. Read moreRead less
Large-scale rechargeable lithium battery for power storage and electric vehicle applications. This project aims to develop large-scale rechargeable lithium batteries for power storage and electric vehicles. In order to achieve this target, the related cathode materials, anode materials and electrolyte systems will be developed. The design of battery modules and assembly of prototype lithium ion batteries will be performed. The success of the research will encourage the production of electrode ma ....Large-scale rechargeable lithium battery for power storage and electric vehicle applications. This project aims to develop large-scale rechargeable lithium batteries for power storage and electric vehicles. In order to achieve this target, the related cathode materials, anode materials and electrolyte systems will be developed. The design of battery modules and assembly of prototype lithium ion batteries will be performed. The success of the research will encourage the production of electrode materials and manufacture of rechargeable lithium batteries in Australia. The utilisation of advanced rechargeable lithium batteries in electric vehicles will provide sustainable energy for transportation and greatly reduce green-house emissions in Australian urban areas.Read moreRead less
Advanced Polymer Electrolytes for Device Applications. The future of an energy sustainable society relies upon the development of a range of technologies that will involve devices such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and fuel cells. One of the key challenges is the discovery and development of high performance materials which overcome performance limiting issues such as conductivity, durability and stability in current devices. Our recent discovery of novel successful approaches ....Advanced Polymer Electrolytes for Device Applications. The future of an energy sustainable society relies upon the development of a range of technologies that will involve devices such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and fuel cells. One of the key challenges is the discovery and development of high performance materials which overcome performance limiting issues such as conductivity, durability and stability in current devices. Our recent discovery of novel successful approaches to the design of improved electrolyte materials will be systematically exploited to develop materials that will provide the significant advance in device performance that is required.Read moreRead less
Potassium ion batteries for large scale renewable energy storage. The project aims to develop potassium ion batteries for renewable energy storage and conversion. Potassium ion batteries could be the most promising choice for large-scale electrical energy storage, particularly for renewable energy sources and smart electrical grids, due to their low cost, natural abundance and the advantages of potassium compared to lithium/sodium ion batteries. This study will research the electrochemical react ....Potassium ion batteries for large scale renewable energy storage. The project aims to develop potassium ion batteries for renewable energy storage and conversion. Potassium ion batteries could be the most promising choice for large-scale electrical energy storage, particularly for renewable energy sources and smart electrical grids, due to their low cost, natural abundance and the advantages of potassium compared to lithium/sodium ion batteries. This study will research the electrochemical reactions and charge transfer pathway of electrode materials with excellent potassium ion storage performance. This project is expected to develop high performance potassium ion batteries and advance the prominence of Australia in the global renewable energy market.Read moreRead less
Redox-sensitised dense graphene to boost compact supercapacitors. This project will create redox-sensitised ion-accessible dense graphene to improve the energy density of supercapacitors (SCs). The energy density of SCs is a bottle neck for long-lasting power supply to vehicles, small devices and mobile electronics. By incorporating a redox coordination framework in shrunk graphene to increase the charge storage capacity and speed up the charge movement and further incorporating ionic liquids in ....Redox-sensitised dense graphene to boost compact supercapacitors. This project will create redox-sensitised ion-accessible dense graphene to improve the energy density of supercapacitors (SCs). The energy density of SCs is a bottle neck for long-lasting power supply to vehicles, small devices and mobile electronics. By incorporating a redox coordination framework in shrunk graphene to increase the charge storage capacity and speed up the charge movement and further incorporating ionic liquids in the tailored electrodes, the project will produce SC’s with higher operating voltage and longer cycle life. Such SCs will possess dramatically high energy density, without compromising the power density. This project will improve the efficiency of modern electronics through the development of the next generation of SCs.Read moreRead less
Hydrogen storage materials for energy conversion applications. For a clean environment, the ideal synthetic fuel is hydrogen because it is lightweight, highly abundant and its oxidation product (water) is environmentally benign. However, the effective storage of hydrogen remains a scientific challenge. This project aims to develop innovative materials with high hydrogen storage capacity and long cycle life, including new composite hydrides, catalysed metal hydrides and various nanotubes. The exp ....Hydrogen storage materials for energy conversion applications. For a clean environment, the ideal synthetic fuel is hydrogen because it is lightweight, highly abundant and its oxidation product (water) is environmentally benign. However, the effective storage of hydrogen remains a scientific challenge. This project aims to develop innovative materials with high hydrogen storage capacity and long cycle life, including new composite hydrides, catalysed metal hydrides and various nanotubes. The expected outcome is the achievement of high reversible hydrogen storage capacity to meet all the demands required for energy conversion applications, in particular, for hydrogen storage/fuel-cell vehicular applications.Read moreRead less
Future sodium based electrochemical energy storage technologies. New rechargeable batteries will be developed through the use of breakthrough electrolytes based on liquid salts. These batteries are vital for the widespread use of renewables in Australia's electricity grid. They will also enable new generations of environmental sensor technology.