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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Geoffrey Moorhouse Gibson Professor of Chemistry

Room M21

Materials Chemistry: Structure and Function

We use a wide range of techniques, including solid state NMR and diffraction, to investigate local structure and the role that this plays in controlling the physical properties of technologically important, but disordered materials.

Rechargeable Batteries

New batteries are required for transport applications and for storage and load-leveling on the electrical grid. These batteries should be capable of being charged and discharged faster, and should store much more power, than the batteries currently available. This requires the development of new electrode chemistries and an understanding of how these systems function. To this end, we study a variety of different rechargeable batteries including lithium and sodium ion batteries (LIBs and NIBs).  We probe the mechanisms for lithium insertion and extraction by, for example, using 6Li/7Li NMR and investigate the effect of local structure and electronic properties on LIB battery performance. Two types of electrode materials are investigated, those that operate via intercalation reactions, where the structure remains largely intact upon Li insertion, and those that react via conversion reactions where the structures transform completely upon reaction with Li. In the latter reactions, our studies focus on identifying the nano-sized (or amorphous) phases that form on Li reaction, how they are formed and how to improve the reversibilities of these reactions. Studies of intercalation compounds include the effect of cation doping and ordering on the mechanisms by which these materials react.

In-situ NMR Studies of Battery and Supercapacitor Function

We have developed NMR methodology to monitor structural changes that occur during the operation of a battery/supercapacitor. These in-situ NMR studies allow us to, for example, capture metastable phases, follow reactions between the electrolyte and the electrode materials and to investigate the effect of rapid charging and cycling of the battery.  For supercapacitors, we can, for example, monitor ions entering or leaving the pores of the highly porous materials that form the electrodes of these devices. 

Solid-State Electrolytes for Fuel Cells and Solid State Batteries 

We use NMR to study investigate mechanisms for ionic conduction. By identifying individual crystallographic or interstitial sites in often highly disordered materials, we can determine which sites are responsible for ionic conduction, where the vacancies or interstitial ions are located, and obtain a much deeper understanding of how these materials function as ionic conductors. Studies focus on perovskite materials, which can act as both oxygen and proton (when hydrated) conductors.  We also investigate both oxide and sulphide-based lithium ion conductors for solid state batteries 

Take a tour of the Grey lab facilities

 

Publications

Front Cover: Sodium Tetrakis(hexafluoroisopropyloxy)aluminates: Synthesis and Electrochemical Characterisation of a Room‐Temperature Solvated Ionic Liquid (ChemElectroChem 2/2024)
DMC Ould, S Menkin, HE Smith, V Riesgo‐González, TH Smith, MNB Chinn, E Jónsson, AD Bond, CP Grey, DS Wright
– ChemElectroChem
(2023)
11,
Exploring the Landscape of Heterocyclic Quinones for Redox Flow Batteries
RB Jethwa, D Hey, RN Kerber, AD Bond, DS Wright, CP Grey
– ACS Appl Energy Mater
(2023)
7,
414
In-situ Studies of Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries
D Hey, CP Grey, EWW Zhao
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
3059
Thermodynamic Stability of LixNiO2 and Polyvinylidene Difluoride Materials for Lithium+ Ion Batteries
M Penrod, B Smith, C Coates, M Rosner, CA O'Keefe, DS Hall, CP Grey
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
275
Operando 17o NMR Studies of Degradation in Li-Oxygen Batteries
J Ellison, CP Grey
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
3404
Oxygen Hole Formation Controls Stability in LiNiO2 Cathodes: DFT Studies of Oxygen Loss and Singlet Oxygen Formation in Li-Ion Batteries
AR Genreith-Schriever, H Banerjee, AS Menon, EN Bassey, LF Piper, CP Grey, AJ Morris
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
162
Understanding the Reaction Mechanism and Kinetics of Mediated Li-O2 Batteries Using Flow Set-Ups and Cyclic Voltammetry
G Horwitz, V Kunz, I Temprano, S Niblett, CP Grey
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
3401
Towards High-Capacity Recovery Aprotic Li-O2 Batteries
I Temprano, W Brehm, Y Ham, Z Lacour, F Bonaccorso, AC Ferrari, CP Grey
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
109
Volta: A Tool for Battery Screening Bridging the Gap between Virtual Electrode Materials and Practical Applications
A Carnevali, M Palacin, CP Grey, A A. Franco
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
51
Vertically Aligned Nanocomposite Thin Films Incorporating 3D-Architectures for Micro-Battery Applications
AJ Lovett, V Daramalla, D Nayak, F Sayed, A Mahadevegowda, C Ducati, B Spencer, S Dutton, CP Grey, JL Driscoll
– ECS Meeting Abstracts
(2023)
MA2023-02,
3079
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Research Group

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336509

Email address

cpg27@cam.ac.uk