Congratulations to our PhD graduate Dr. Zhejun LI for receiving the 2021 Young Scientist Award in Engineering Science in the 28th Annual Conference of Hong Kong Institution of Science.

Project: Materials Design and Mechanistic Investigation of Advanced Sulfur-based Batteries

Increasing urgency of global warming and climate crisis from the greenhouse gas emissions emphasizes the significance of the integration of renewable energy resources into future grids. Carbon neutralization have become the global consensus toward a carbon-free grids, especially in view of the increasing extreme weather events happened worldwide. Although the costs of solar and wind keep declining in recent decade, their integration is challenged by the intrinsic intermittency and instability, which requires the deployments of cost-effective, highly reliable and high energy density energy storage systems. Sulfur, as one of the most attractive materials with the merits of earth abundance, low market price and high-energy-density, receives increasing attention for energy storage applications.

The research team’s work focuses on the application, rational materials design, and mechanistic investigation of sulfur-based batteries for a renewable energy storage landscape. The team has invented the first low-cost polysulfide-iodide flow battery, and further developed an effective membrane strategy to achieve industrial-relevant cycling stability for long-duration energy storage in grid-scale applications. In addition, Li-S batteries are promising for the decarbonization of transportation. The team has established the quantitative electrodeposition model, which is effective in guiding its rational developments of electrolyte and catalysts.

Assembling of the polysulfide-iodide redox flow battery prototype with charge-reinforced ion-selective membrane

Lithium sulfur batteries under testing

Ceremony of the 28th Annual Conference of Hong Kong Institution of Science

(Left: Prof. Man Cho SO, right: Dr. Zhejun LI)