Speaker: Zhongwei Chen, PhD

Time: 2:30 PM, Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Location: Chemistry Building 208

Advanced High Energy Lithium-ion Batteries and Zinc-air Batteries

Zhongwei Chen, PhD

Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair

Director of Collaborative Graduate Program in Nanotechnology

Department of Chemical Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering

University of Waterloo

Abstract

Development of low cost, high energy, safe and long-life rechargeable battery technology is critical for widespread commercialization of smart grid and electric vehicle. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and rechargeable zinc-air batteries have been considered as most promising candidates as energy storage system for transportation, smart grids and stationary power. In this presentation, I will present our recent work on advanced energy materials development for next generation rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and rechargeable zinc-air batteries by focusing on the following two topics: (1) The latest achievements and some ongoing work in silicon anode based high energy Li-ion battery through the collaboration with General Motors. More specifically, advanced Si electrodes have been developed by a simple flash heat treatment and sulfur-doped graphene wrapping technique which can efficiently accommodate Si volume expansion and demonstrate excellent electrochemical reversibility and cycling. (2) Novel nano-engineered core-corona structured bi-functional catalysts for rechargeable zinc-air batteries. We will also discuss how nanoengineered materials can enhance the catalytic activity and durability of oxygen electrocatalysts and how surface structures and chemical compositions of catalysts affect the electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Dr. Zhongwei Chen is Canada Research Chair Professor in Advanced Materials for Clean Energy, Director of Collaborative Graduate Program in Nanotechnology and Director of Applied Nanomaterials & Clean Energy Laboratory at University of Waterloo. His current research interests are in the development of advanced energy materials for metal-air batteries, lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from the University of California - Riverside. Prior to joining the faculty at Waterloo in 2008, he was focusing on the advanced catalysts research by the Chancellor's Dissertation Fellowship in the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at New Mexico, USA. He was promoted to an Associate Professor with early tenure in 2012 and he was awarded Canada Research Chair in 2014. His current research is on nanomaterials for fuel cells, batteries, water and sensors. He has published 1 book, 6 book chapters and more than 130 peer reviewed journal articles including Nature Communications, JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Energy & Environmental Science, Nano Letters and ACS Nano. These publications have earned him to date over 10,000 citations with H-index 43 (Google Scholar). He is also listed as inventor on 13 US/international patents, with two licensed to start-up companies in USA. He founded Wattech Power Inc., a company to commercialize the zinc-air flow battery technology in July 2015. Dr. Chen also serves as an editorial board member for peer-reviewed journals including Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing), Frontiers in Fuel Cells, Canadian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences and the Vice President of the International Academy of Electrochemical Energy Science (IAOEES).