Maria Lukatskaya
Materials and electrolyte design for fast and efficient charge storage
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
https://www.echemes.ethz.ch/team
Abstract:
Energy storage is becoming increasingly important as society transitions towards more renewable and sustainable sources of energy. However, specific performance criteria related to their energy and power density, safety, and cost, should be fulfilled in order to make an energy storage device relevant for applications. In this talk, two topics related to energy storage systems will be discussed: (1) material design for fast charge storage; (2) electrolyte engineering for high-performance aqueous batteries.
Specifically, in the first part of my talk, I will discuss how the key performance metrics of pseudocapacitors – capacitance and charging rates – can be pushed to the limits in materials. In particular, I will discuss the electrochemistry of 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes) and 2D conductive metal-organic frameworks, with an emphasis on the mechanism of charge storage and electrode design. In the second part, the use of highly concentrated "water-in-salt" (WIS) electrolytes as a means of achieving increased charging efficiency and a wider stability window will be discussed in the context of aqueous Li-ion and Zn metal batteries. I will also discuss how relatively dilute electrolytes can be engineered for efficient aqueous batteries and the role of cation solvation environment.
Short bio:
Dr. Maria Lukatskaya is a tenure-track assistant professor of Electrochemical Energy Systems in Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zürich and a head of Electrochemical Energy Systems Laboratory. She received her Ph.D. from Drexel University (USA) followed by postdoctoral stay at Stanford University (USA) and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (USA). Dr. Lukatskaya is a Highly Cited Researcher (2021-2023) and SNSF Starting Grant awardee. She received a number of international awards, including Faraday Division Horizon Prize (by Royal Society of Chemistry), Energy and Environmental Science Lectureship Award, iCANX ACS Nano Lectureship Award, MRS Gold Graduate Student Award, The George Hill Jr. Endowed Fellowship Fund and others.