Xiulei Ji
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

Abstract

Energy storage is the absent enabler to facilitate the proliferation of renewable-but-intermittent solar and wind energy. There are two primary metrics for stationary storage: cost and cycling life, where the latter also pertains to the cost, indeed. It is, thus, a must to rely on earth-abundant elements, which rules out lithium-based devices for the storage purposes as lithium is rare and its supply is geopolitically challenged. This warrants attention for alternative batteries. At Oregon State University, we focus on pushing the boundaries of redox intercalation chemistry via carbon-based materials for sustainable energy storage solutions. We investigate structure-property correlations as design principles for electrodes in emerging redox chemistries, including sodium-ion batteries (NIBs), potassium-ion batteries (KIBs), dual-ion batteries (DIBs), and recently hydronium-ion batteries (HIBs). The electrode materials we currently study include non-graphitic carbon, such as hard carbon and soft carbon, and crystalline organic solids, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We hope to provide to the community new insights on underexplored charge-storage chemistry and battery configurations.

Ji Xiulei CV.pdf