| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/T027967/1 |
| Title: |
3D Conductive Polymer Batteries for Future Safe and Sustainable Energy Storage |
| Principal Investigator: |
Schoetz, Dr T |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) |
| Organisation: |
University of Southampton |
| Scheme: |
EPSRC Fellowship |
| Starts: |
01 August 2020 |
Ends: |
31 July 2023 |
Value (£): |
369,787
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Energy |
Transport Systems and Vehicles |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Charge storage materials such conductive polymers, also known as hybrid battery-capacitors, are nowadays regarded as a promising solution for establishing next-generation batteries, due to their high specific capacity, energy and power as well as non-flammability, recyclability and low cost combined in one storage system. Currently, the energy storage community aspires exploiting these attributes in a conservative fashion where battery components (anode-electrolyte-cathode) are designed in a 2D layered design. In consequence, research efforts are focused on optimising the components in an isolated approach to comply with state-of-the-art batteries, e.g. non-aqueous and solid electrolytes with wide potential stability windows, composite materials as electrodes with long cycle life, large storage capacity and high cell potentials. The improved properties of such battery components are however often diminished when benchmarked in the full conservative battery cell associated with performance-limiting interaction of all components that cannot make use of their full storage capability, manifesting opportunities for unconventional battery designs within a feasible framework.
New energy storage materials require also new battery designs. This fellowship aims exploiting the strong emergence of (a) safe and sustainable materials for energy storage such as conductive polymers and ionogels and (b) designing them in a novel 3D design to make use of the full performance potential of all battery components. I will first synthesise stable polymer fibres with high capacity leading into the fabrication of electrochemical active 3D polymer-ionogel composites in form of flexible battery sheets. The characteristics and charge storage mechanisms of these 3D electrode-electrolyte material designs will then be studied with in-operando methods and evaluated in laboratory-scale battery test cells for establishing fully functioning battery prototypes that can be recycled and reformed creating a circular economy. A successful outcome will demonstrate a mature battery prototype that will be supported by the necessary design tools, for taking modern battery technologies far beyond its current state-of-art while minimising the trade-off between performance, safety and sustainability.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.soton.ac.uk |