Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Climate change and energy sustainability are two main challenges that humanity is facing. A promising strategy to solve these challenges is to employ clean energy conversion and storage systems to intelligently manage renewable energy electricity use with peak shaving and valley filling. These energy systems include rechargeable batteries, electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, and fuel cells, which will be integral parts of a sustainable energy economy, as they enable the interconversion of electrical and chemical energy. That is, they harvest renewable energy (e.g., electricity from hydro, wind, solar, etc.) and store it, then release the energy upon demand. The proposed CRC research program aims to develop next-generation sustainable energy conversion and storage devices, in supporting global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and realize a net-zero carbon economy. Specifically, Dr. Zhang and her team will (1) develop low-cost, and high-performance/stable nanomaterials (for use in catalysts, electrodes, and electrolytes) for applications in batteries, H2 production, and fuel cells; (2) rationally design the electrode components (anode, cathode, electrolytes, and their interfaces) and assemble the energy cells to improve the performance and lifetime of the energy devices; (3) in situ diagnose the energy device systems (such as monitoring component structure evolution, and battery performance and degradation during the battery charge/discharge and life cycling, with temperature control to mimic the real battery working conditions, mimic the fast charge for the real use, etc.), as well as their integration into the (smart) grid systems, with the collaboration of colleagues at ÉTS, and nationally and internationally. Further, this research program will leverage the long-term industrial partnerships of Dr. Zhang and ÉTS to accelerate the employment of energy devices in electric vehicles (EVs), smart grids, and power backup applications. The outcomes of this research program (e.g., the development of low-cost, high-performance, and long-lifetime sustainable energy devices, and their integration into the grid systems to explore more renewable energy) will have significant societal and economic benefits for Quebec, Canada, and globally. In particular, these technologies will be essential enabling tools for the worldwide transition to a sustainable energy economy and low-carbon society.