The 14th edition of Computing+ Seminar was held on Apr 11, 2023. Dr Guanjie He, Assistant Professor from Advanced Propulsion of University College London presented his work Electrolyte Engineering in Zn-Ion Batteries . The seminar was chaired by Dr. Anxiong Liu from Computing+ Engineering Laboratory, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Study, Zhejiang University (SIAS ZJU). Professor Luo Kun, Deputy Director of the Institute, together with young researchers participated in the seminar on site, and researchers from Zhejiang University etc, joint the seminar online.
Under the increasingly severe climate and regulative pressures to achieve carbon neutrality, current electrochemical energy storage systems are in need of a radical upgrade to meet various demands from end users. Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) provide sustainable routes to grid-scale energy storage because of their cost and safety advantages, using mild aqueous electrolytes and abundant metallic zinc anodes. Besides, owing to the distinctive merits such as relatively high ionic conductivity, environmental benignity, low risks of flammability and considerable energy density of AZIBs compared with conventional Li-ion batteries, AZIBs are intensively investigated to unleash the potential for practical applications. However, the development of rechargeable AZIBs is plagued by poor reversibility due to a series of intrinsic issues, such as hydrogen evolution and Zn dendrite formation. Significantly, the advances in materials discovery and innovation in device configuration have improved the performance of AZIBs in all aspects, including durability, operating voltage range, energy/power density, and economic availability.
Dr He and his collabrators investigated different electrolyte components intensively to suppress the side reaction on the Zn anodes. He further pointed out that improvements are needed, especially for realizing the requirement for high energy density and high stability scenarios. He also introduced recent progress of AZIBs technology, such as facile electrolyte components and additives for aqueous AZIBs in details in his talk.
The audience showed great interest in Dr He's lecture and asked questions during the Q&A session. Dr He patiently answered all questions and engaged in an intense discussion with audiences onsite and online. The seminar was a success and continues the tradition of the Computing+ series.
About “Computing+” Seminar
The revolution characterized by intelligent computing has continued to drive the pervasive application of algorithms and computing power to information, life, and physical sciences, accelerating the construction of a joint world of human, physical world, intelligent machine and digital information science.
In this light, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Study, Zhejiang University launched 'Computing+' seminar series, inviting academics to share latest developments and exchange ideas and thoughts to further explore the intersections of computing with life sciences, engineering and social sciences.