Embrittlement-tolerant alloys for safe hydrogen transmission and storage. Hydrogen embrittlement in steels is a major impediment to a safe hydrogen economy. This project will determine how hydrogen affects the deformation behaviour of steel, providing the fundamental information that is required to develop alloys that can be safely used in infrastructure for a future Australian hydrogen industry. We will utilise new technologies that allow us, for the first time, to determine the position of hyd ....Embrittlement-tolerant alloys for safe hydrogen transmission and storage. Hydrogen embrittlement in steels is a major impediment to a safe hydrogen economy. This project will determine how hydrogen affects the deformation behaviour of steel, providing the fundamental information that is required to develop alloys that can be safely used in infrastructure for a future Australian hydrogen industry. We will utilise new technologies that allow us, for the first time, to determine the position of hydrogen atoms around micro-scale features and to compare it to local mechanical behaviour, determined by micro-mechanical tests. The systematic investigation of the effect of hydrogen on different micro-components within steel will allow the development of microstructure-guided alloy design principles.Read moreRead less
Mitigating hydrogen embrittlement in high-strength steels. Hydrogen wreaks havoc in many alloys, leading to embrittlement that can cause catastrophic failure. This is a very serious issue for any industry in which structures are exposed to hydrogen and is a limiting factor for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen in a potential hydrogen economy. However, understanding the behaviour of hydrogen in alloys is restricted by the difficulty of observing it. In this project we will ob ....Mitigating hydrogen embrittlement in high-strength steels. Hydrogen wreaks havoc in many alloys, leading to embrittlement that can cause catastrophic failure. This is a very serious issue for any industry in which structures are exposed to hydrogen and is a limiting factor for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen in a potential hydrogen economy. However, understanding the behaviour of hydrogen in alloys is restricted by the difficulty of observing it. In this project we will obtain accurate 3D maps showing the position of hydrogen atoms in steel by combining deuteration with cryogenic atom probe microscopy. In this way we will will elucidate how a proposed solution, hydrogen trapping, reduces hydrogen embrittlement, contributing to design criteria for hydrogen-resistant steels.Read moreRead less
A thermal battery for dish-Stirling concentrated solar power systems. This project will investigate new high temperature (> 600 degrees Celsius) metal hydrides and carbonates suitable for thermochemical energy storage in dish-Stirling Concentrated Solar Power systems. The intended outcome is to discover cost effective, energy dense materials that are capable of operating over a 30 year life span in a solar power plant. This will enable 24/7 electricity production from renewable sources in a disp ....A thermal battery for dish-Stirling concentrated solar power systems. This project will investigate new high temperature (> 600 degrees Celsius) metal hydrides and carbonates suitable for thermochemical energy storage in dish-Stirling Concentrated Solar Power systems. The intended outcome is to discover cost effective, energy dense materials that are capable of operating over a 30 year life span in a solar power plant. This will enable 24/7 electricity production from renewable sources in a dispatchable solar platform, ideal for remote locations. The successful development of high temperature metal hydrides and carbonates will finally provide an energy storage solution to dish-Stirling Concentrated Solar Power systems, which will greatly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to produce electricity.Read moreRead less
Novel hydrogen-rich liquids for storing and transporting hydrogen at scale. Hydrogen is proposed as the best candidate to store large amounts of energy produced by intermittent sources such as wind and solar. This project aims to address challenges in storing and transporting large amounts of hydrogen in a safe and effective way by developing novel liquid-phase compounds that contain light elements including boron, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Expected outcomes of this project include new liq ....Novel hydrogen-rich liquids for storing and transporting hydrogen at scale. Hydrogen is proposed as the best candidate to store large amounts of energy produced by intermittent sources such as wind and solar. This project aims to address challenges in storing and transporting large amounts of hydrogen in a safe and effective way by developing novel liquid-phase compounds that contain light elements including boron, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Expected outcomes of this project include new liquid compounds that can effectively and safely store hydrogen at scale using the exisiting liquid hydrocarbon fuel infrastructure. This should provide significant benefits in the establishment of renewable hydrogen for domestic consumption and more for exporting sustainable and clean fuel using hydrogen as the energy carrier.Read moreRead less
Sustainable high energy sodium batteries with enhanced safety & cycle life. This project aims to deliver a high specific energy, ambient temperature sodium metal battery that is more sustainable, safer and better performing than existing technologies. Innovative chemistry will be used to replace the current flammable and toxic organic solvent-based systems, while novel tools and capabilities will be forged to retain Australian leadership in this sector. These advances will provide a technology ....Sustainable high energy sodium batteries with enhanced safety & cycle life. This project aims to deliver a high specific energy, ambient temperature sodium metal battery that is more sustainable, safer and better performing than existing technologies. Innovative chemistry will be used to replace the current flammable and toxic organic solvent-based systems, while novel tools and capabilities will be forged to retain Australian leadership in this sector. These advances will provide a technology and materials platform to generate and support emerging energy storage industries in Australia. It will strengthen international collaborations with leading research teams and provide opportunities and training for the next generation of energy storage research leaders in both academia and industry.Read moreRead less
Engineering Nanoionic Interfaces towards High Performance Cathode Coatings. This project aims to develop novel cathode coating materials towards more durable and powerful energy storage devices. Lithium ion battery will be constructed based on perovskite oxides to provide high capacity and stability for potential applications in electric cars, mobile phones and internet of things. The project will address fundamental challenges in this field by developing high voltage cathode coated with nanoion ....Engineering Nanoionic Interfaces towards High Performance Cathode Coatings. This project aims to develop novel cathode coating materials towards more durable and powerful energy storage devices. Lithium ion battery will be constructed based on perovskite oxides to provide high capacity and stability for potential applications in electric cars, mobile phones and internet of things. The project will address fundamental challenges in this field by developing high voltage cathode coated with nanoionic thin layers. Combined with new materials fabrication techniques and innovative strain engineering, the expected outcome is high performance cathodes with enhanced rate capability and cycling life, low fabrication cost and production scalability.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101103
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$397,286.00
Summary
Stable Lithium-Sodium Metal Anodes for Rechargeable Alkali Metal Batteries. The project aims to address the safety issues derived from the dendritic growth and volume variation of alkali metal anodes, which are a challenge for the practical application of rechargeable alkali metal batteries. This project seeks to design a novel 3D lithium/sodium host featuring a lithiophilic-lithiophobic gradient interfacial layer to achieve uniform deposition and structural stability. The expected outcome of th ....Stable Lithium-Sodium Metal Anodes for Rechargeable Alkali Metal Batteries. The project aims to address the safety issues derived from the dendritic growth and volume variation of alkali metal anodes, which are a challenge for the practical application of rechargeable alkali metal batteries. This project seeks to design a novel 3D lithium/sodium host featuring a lithiophilic-lithiophobic gradient interfacial layer to achieve uniform deposition and structural stability. The expected outcome of this project is to successfully develop alkali metal batteries that are stable, safe and have high energy density. This project should have significant benefits such as the advancement of knowledge in alkali metal batteries and strengthen Australia’s competitiveness in the area of next-generation energy storage technologies.Read moreRead less
Design of new two-dimensional materials for lithium sulphur batteries. Design of new two-dimensional materials for lithium sulphur batteries. This project aims to develop classes of electrode material systems for high performance batteries. This project will design new hierarchical cathode composites for a high capacity lithium-sulphur battery with a long cycling life. It intends to improve energy density by confining active sulphur in conductive graphene and exfoliated titanium dioxide nanoshee ....Design of new two-dimensional materials for lithium sulphur batteries. Design of new two-dimensional materials for lithium sulphur batteries. This project aims to develop classes of electrode material systems for high performance batteries. This project will design new hierarchical cathode composites for a high capacity lithium-sulphur battery with a long cycling life. It intends to improve energy density by confining active sulphur in conductive graphene and exfoliated titanium dioxide nanosheets, and use a unique hybrid protecting layer to suppress cycling instability. This research is expected to establish the relationship between synthetic conditions, structure, and electrochemical performance.Read moreRead less
Solid-state lithium batteries using phase-stabilised electrolytes. This project aims to develop advanced lithium batteries using multifunctional phase-stabilised solid-state electrolytes. Solid-state lithium batteries are the ultimate end goal of the battery industry, owing to their unique features including no fire hazard, high energy and power densities, and long service lifespan. By combining nanofabrication and novel electrolyte materials, the project expects to boost the performances of sol ....Solid-state lithium batteries using phase-stabilised electrolytes. This project aims to develop advanced lithium batteries using multifunctional phase-stabilised solid-state electrolytes. Solid-state lithium batteries are the ultimate end goal of the battery industry, owing to their unique features including no fire hazard, high energy and power densities, and long service lifespan. By combining nanofabrication and novel electrolyte materials, the project expects to boost the performances of solid-state lithium batteries, establishing them as an advanced energy technology to meet future energy storage and conversion needs. The newly developed battery technology will be widely used for portable electronics, electric vehicles and smart electricity grids that integrate renewable energy sources.Read moreRead less
Room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for large-scale energy storage. This project aims to develop room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for renewable energy storage. Sodium-sulfur batteries are ideal for large-scale energy storage, owing to high energy density and low cost. However, there are significant challenges in attaining practical sodium-sulfur batteries with high capacity and safety. By developing novel high capacity sulphur cathodes, dendrite-free sodium metal anodes and quasi-so ....Room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for large-scale energy storage. This project aims to develop room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for renewable energy storage. Sodium-sulfur batteries are ideal for large-scale energy storage, owing to high energy density and low cost. However, there are significant challenges in attaining practical sodium-sulfur batteries with high capacity and safety. By developing novel high capacity sulphur cathodes, dendrite-free sodium metal anodes and quasi-solid-state gel polymer electrolytes, this project expects to achieve high-performance sodium-sulfur batteries with high capacity, long cycle life and enhanced safety. Expected benefits will arise from deployment of sodium-sulfur batteries and advances in energy storage technologies that are efficient and cost-effective.Read moreRead less