Engineering of Two-Dimensional Materials for Clean Energy Conversion and Storage Applications

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Increasing energy demands and the global climate crisis require designing next-generation clean energy technologies. It is critical to address the growing global concerns about the decarbonization of the economy and the development of clean and sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies using advanced materials. Many types of clean energy storage and conversion technologies are being developed due to demand and challenges in existing technologies. The latest in-demand applications, such as wearable electronics and electric vehicles, require advanced materials with superior multifunctional capabilities to enable high performance, durability, and lightweight designs for robust and flexible energy storage and conversion. The major challenges in commercializing these systems are associated with the composite materials and designs of electrolytes and electrodes. Serious efforts are needed to engineer multipurpose materials and design novel solid-state electrolytes to improve the electrodes' performance, capacity, enhance safety and lengthen lifetimes. Conventional materials for electrolytes in electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems such as fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors are polymeric membranes, aqueous electrolytes, or organic liquid electrolytes. The evaporation and corrosive effects of aqueous electrolytes and the high volume and flammability of organic electrolytes lead to the degradation of electrolytes and electrodes over time. Therefore, it is vital to replace these electrolytes and electrodes with advanced materials having superior performance, reasonable safety, and long-term durability to overcome these barriers. The Kaur lab will design, engineer, and investigate a new family of 2D materials known as MXenes, composed of transition metal carbides and/or nitrides in this research program. A broad range of MXenes will be created using top-down or bottom-up synthesis which display fascinating properties varying from high electronic conductivity, excellent capacity, flexibility, mechanical strength, and electrochemical stability. These properties potentially make MXenes ideal candidates for solid-state composites for applications in ion-conductive electrolyte membranes and flexible electrodes for in-demand energy systems and technologies of relevance to Canadian and global green energy markets. The compositional factors that govern the electrolyte and electrode properties will be evaluated in electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems and guide the design of future materials within the sustainable energy research area. The long-term benefits offered by the proposed research and training program will be strengthening the position of Canada as a leader in clean energy, new industry jobs, highly-trained experts, and reduced fossil fuel dependence.