Research

The ever-growing energy storage industry imposes great demands that current lithium-ion batteries are unable to meet. Li-sulfur and Li-air batteries have the potential to store 10 times more energy in the same space as the current state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. We aim to enhance the performance of Li-oxygen batteries using nanostructured porous cathodes tailored to the specific needs of this system. Our group also focuses on developing carbon-based (porous carbon, CNTs, graphene) sulfur composites using various synthesis methods to enhance the surface area and electrical conductivity of sulfur electrodes. Our research also focuses on improving the cyclability of metal-S batteries. In addition, We are aiming to discover high-performance materials and understand the energy storage mechanism, which is crucial for the development of Na-ion batteries. 

The ever-growing need for portable electronics and electric vehicles requires energy storage devices/power sources with high energy and power densities. Li-based hybrid supercapacitors with Li-battery anode and supercapacitor cathode have been attracting tremendous research interest to overcome this barrier. Our group is mainly focusing on developing transitional metal oxide-carbon composites for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors. Particularly, we design and build robust electrode architectures with both ion and electron pathways to improve electrode kinetics.