Engineering Robust Cathodes for Sustainable Energy Storage

电池和电容器等储能设备已成为我们日常生活中不可或缺的一部分，人们对加速将这项技术用于电动汽车和电网储能有着极大的热情。它还在减缓气候变化方面发挥着重要作用，并通过储存和利用可再生资源产生的能源实现低碳经济。虽然锂离子电池（LIB）从20世纪90年代起就占据了市场主导地位，但资源短缺和回收含有危险和反应性材料的LIB所面临的挑战将对英国产生不利影响，并使其依赖于外部市场。因此，迫切需要开发具有易于回收的环境友好和可持续材料的储能设备，这将引领循环经济。在这方面，锌离子电容器（ZIC）提供了一个可持续的，具有成本效益的（每千瓦时成本）和安全的能量存储系统，也很容易回收。在我们以前的工作的基础上，使用维生素基离子液体电解质的电池是环境友好的，目前的项目旨在开发具有高能量和功率密度的锌离子电容器（ZIC）。这将导致ZIC以更快的速度充电并存储更多的能量。作为一个新兴的课题，ZIC的主要挑战是Zn离子的尺寸和电荷，其难以存储在阴极处，并导致较低的容量和有限的循环能力。因此，该项目的目标是1。开发具有嵌入有过渡金属氧化物的2D多孔碳的合适的混合阴极，其可以改善Zn离子的电子导电性和扩散动力学以获得高功率密度，并且还在阴极中诱导存储位点以获得高能量密度。2.通过与Diamond Light Source合作的现场测量技术，了解电容器中发生的锌存储机制和阻碍反应。3.调节阴极以减轻阻抗反应并改善ZIC性能。4.与项目合作伙伴（TWI）合作扩大规模和实施

Energy storage devices such as batteries and capacitors have become an integral part of our daily life and there is a tremendous zeal to accelerate this technology to be used in electric vehicles and grid storage. It also plays a vital role in mitigating climate change, and enables a low carbon economy by storing and utilising the energy generated from renewable resources. Although lithium ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the market from 1990's, the shortage of resources and challenges faced in recycling LIBs which contain hazardous and reactive materials will have a detrimental effect on UK and make it dependent on external markets. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop energy storage devices with environmentally benign and sustainable materials that are easy to recycle which would lead the way to a circular economy. In this regard, Zn ion capacitors (ZICs) offer a sustainable, cost-effective (cost-per-kWh) and safe energy storage system which is also easy to recycle.Building on our previous work on using vitamin based ionic liquid electrolytes in batteries that are environmentally benign, the current project aims at developing Zn ion capacitors (ZICs) having high energy and power densities. This would lead ZICs to charge at a faster rate and store more energy. As an emerging topic, the major challenge in ZICs is the size and charge of Zn ions which are difficult to store at the cathode and leads to lower capacity and limited cyclability. Therefore, the project aims at 1. Developing suitable hybrid cathodes with 2D porous carbon embedded with transition metal oxides that can improve electronic conductivity and diffusion kinetics of Zn ions to obtain high power density, and also inducing storage sites in the cathode to obtain high energy density. 2. Understanding the Zn storage mechanism and impedimental reactions which take place in the capacitors by in situ measurement techniques in collaboration with Diamond Light Source. 3. Modulating the cathode to mitigate the impedimental reactions and improve the ZIC performance. 4. Engaging with project partners (TWI) for scale-up and implementation