Research
Overview
Environmental concerns and economic incentives are reshaping how we approach energy and materials worldwide. Emerging interdisciplinary methodologies offer unprecedented opportunities to explore sustainable materials and renewable energy, providing valuable insights into some of the most pressing challenges faced by our communities.
I am a researcher in sustainable materials and renewable energy, specializing in synthesizing and recycling the energy materials for energy storage systems. My work integrates novel material synthesis techniques, in operando electrochemistry, machine learning algorithms, and high-throughput automation devices.
Spent battery recycling
Electrothermal activation
Battery metals recovery
The staggering accumulation of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and the growing scarcity of battery metal sources have triggered an urgent call for an effective recycling strategy. However, it is challenging to reclaim these metals with both high efficiency and low environmental footprint.
I use here a pulsed dc flash Joule heating (FJH) strategy that heats the black mass, the combined anode and cathode from spent LIBs, to >2100 kelvin within seconds, leading to ~1000-fold increase in subsequent leaching kinetics. There are high recovery yields of all the battery metals, regardless of their chemistries, using even diluted acids like 0.01 M HCl, thereby lessening the secondary waste stream. The potential scalability of the FJH activation strategy is demonstrated. Life cycle analysis versus present recycling methods shows that FJH significantly reduces the environmental footprint of spent LIBs processing while turning it into an economically attractive process. Besides, I demonstrate that FJH method can achieve nondestructive recycling of metal oxide cathodes and graphite anode from spent LIBs.
Currently, I am exploring the upcycling of the spent electrodes using FJH method.
Autonomous advanced electrolytes design
Liquid handling system
The desire for lighter and more powerful batteries promotes the development of metallic anodes and high voltage cathodes. However, their poor compatibility with the commercial electrolytes results in unsatisfied reversibility and severe safety concerns, hindering their practical applications.
Superior reversibility in rechargeable metal batteries depends on molecular features of the electrolyte components, and electro-mechano-chemical properties of interfacial passivating layer formed atop the electrodes. Here, I propose a collocated molecule generation and descriptor prediction protocol, coupled with an autonomous liquid handling platform and in operando transparent cells enabling efficient screening and systematical design of multinary electrolytes. Therefore, my system can reduce the labor and development time by 90%, and lower the cost by 80%.
I am interested in the electrolytes design for the other systems.
Energy materials synthesis
Flash Joule heating
Laser-induced method
Surface sanding
Electric heating methods are being developed and applied to electrify industrial processes and reduce their carbon emissions. Direct Joule heating is an energy-efficient electric heating technique that has been widely demonstrated at the bench scale and has the potential to replace certain energy- and carbon-intensive processes.
Flash Joule heating (FJH) uses pulsed current discharge to rapidly heat materials directly to the desired temperature. It offers ultrahigh temperature capability (>3,000 °C), rapid heating and cooling rates (>100 °C per second), short processing durations (milliseconds to seconds), and high energy efficiency (approaching ~100%).
To date, a variety of carbon-based and functional inorganic materials have been synthesized using FJH from both virgin and waste feedstocks. Potential applications of these materials include, but are not limited to, efficient electro-catalysts, additives for polymers and cement, remediation of persistent chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and high-performance electrode materials.
I am interested in the other novel material synthesis techniques, including laser-induced strategy, plasma under the controlled atmosphere, high energy ball milling and sanding method.