UniSQ awarded ARC grant to develop self-healing graphene battery electrodes

Rechargeable batteries gradually lose performance through repeated charging and discharging, as the resulting mechanical stress causes microscopic cracks, loss of electrical contact, and electrode deterioration – a problem that becomes more pronounced as thicker electrodes are developed to increase energy storage. In the proposed design, the graphene provides highly conductive electron pathways while helping researchers engineer the interfaces within the electrode, while the dynamic polymer networks are designed to reconnect damaged regions as cracks and other defects develop during cycling.

Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), led by Professor Ashok Kumar Nanjundan, have been awarded A$1.3 million (about US$923,000) through the Australian Research Council’s Future Fellowship scheme to develop self-healing sodium-ion battery electrodes that combine specially engineered, defect-rich graphene with dynamic polymer networks to repair mechanical damage during operation.Rechargeable batteries gradually lose performance through repeated charging and discharging, as the resulting mechanical stress causes microscopic cracks, loss of electrical contact, and electrode deterioration – a problem that becomes more pronounced as thicker electrodes are developed to increase energy storage. In the proposed design, the graphene provides highly conductive electron pathways while helping researchers engineer the interfaces within the electrode, while the dynamic polymer networks are designed to reconnect damaged regions as cracks and other defects develop during cycling.

Read More Graphene-Info – Graphene industry portal