High Power Energy Storage: New Materials for Large Format Supercapacitors

The focus of this project is to take new supercapacitor technology from the scientific discovery stage right through to industrially relevant demonstrator devices. The project will aim to increase the energy stored in new supercapacitor devices through the use of nanostructured metal oxides as electrode materials. The candidate will develop new nanostructured transition metal materials using a range of wet chemistry and advanced synthesis techniques (including hydrothermal, solid state and co-precipitation methods) to direct the phase, particle size and morphology of various transition metal oxides. The candidate will assess these properties through various characterisation methods including powder x-ray diffraction, surface area and pore analysis and various electron microscopies. These materials are to be screened throughout the project to understand the effects on various properties in supercapacitor application. This screening will involve making of small coin cell devices and extensive electrochemical analysis including potentiostatic and galvanostatic techniques and AC impedance spectroscopy. Promising materials are to be scaled to large format devices on the Energy Innovation Centre's Battery Scale-up Line by the candidate and tested in WMG's Vehicle Energy Facility, allowing demonstration of advances in performance at an industrially relevant scale. The candidate will become experienced in all stages of development of the technology from various materials synthesis and characterisation techniques, through to small coin cell development and electrochemical analysis, and finally onto pilot scale prototyping and testing at high powers and currents of 100s of amps.