The interfaces between materials in batteries and solar cells often determine how well those devices work—and this project puts those microscopic boundaries front and centre. Most electrochemical systems, from lithium-ion batteries to fuel cells, fail or lose efficiency at the electrode surface where it meets the electrolyte. Yet the fundamental science of what happens at these interfaces—how atoms rearrange, how charge moves, how degradation starts—remains poorly understood. This grant establishes a core research hub within the UK Centre for Advanced Materials for Energy Generation and Transmission, modelled on the national Supergen Consortia, to systematically study those critical zones. The team will devote 60% of its effort to platform research on interface behaviour, 30% to flexible funding for collaborative proof-of-concept studies with universities and industry, and 10% to networking and outreach. If successful, the work could lead to longer-lasting batteries, more efficient solar cells, and more durable components for the electricity grid—improvements that quietly underpin everything from electric vehicles to renewable energy storage. The project is fundamentally curiosity-driven, targeting a basic understanding of energy materials interfaces, but that understanding is a prerequisite for nearly every practical advance in energy technology.
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The aim of this proposal is to establish a Core Activity within the UK Centre for Advanced Materials for Energy Generation and Transmission along the lines of the national Supergen Consortia in Energy Engineering. We anticipate being one of three Cores comprising an overall Centre activity and expect to play an important role in delivering such a Centre. Here, we build our case around the most critical element in many manifestations of Energy Materials applications, the interfaces between the active elements. The interface between active components and, indeed, the surface are usually of great importance in determining the functionality of any energy materials application. For example, the critical region determining the performance and lifetime of most electrochemical systems is normally at the electrode side of the electrode/electrolyte interface. The proposal is split into three components: (1) Platform Research within the Core (60%); (2) Flexible Funding for collaborative research with University & Industry Partners outside the Core (30%), using which we will seek to build up capability through pump-priming and proof of concept studies. Thirdly, this will be strongly supported through interactions and collaborations through (3) Networking and Outreach (10%). The grouping not only offers strong expertise in a broad range of Energy Materials, but also brings together diverse skills and disciplines in a highly complementary manner to address exciting research challenges at Energy Materials interfaces.
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