Research Fellow - Unravelling the mechanism of degradation of best-in-class lithium-ion batteries

Full Time Fixed Term until 31/01/2027

Increasing the longevity of lithium-ion batteries is the most efficient way to increase their value and to make them more environmentally friendly. However, identifying approaches to suppress battery degradation is extremely difficult, particularly because the root processes that cause degradation are poorly understood.

This project will form part of a major consortium, funded by the Faraday Institution, where a range of world-class techniques are combined to study best-in-class battery materials to identify the key processes contributing to battery degradation and to guide a rational development of performance-enhancement solutions (https://faraday.ac.uk/extending-battery-life/). Such multidisciplinary collaboration has led to a number of important articles, including our recent demonstration of the presence of two distinct reaction pathways (instead of only one, as previously assumed) for the degradation of nickel-rich battery cathodes, which are the materials of choice for electric vehicle applications [Energy Environ. Sci., 2022,15, 3416-3438].

This project will employ world-class operando techniques for the study of gas evolution from batteries, which critically affects battery longevity and safety [J. Phys. Chem. C 2024, 128, 13395-13401]. The project will also benefit from world-class characterisation facilities available within the department, including a unique correlative SEM+Raman microscope and state-of-the-art X-ray diffractometers. The experiments will be done using state-of-the-art battery electrodes and cells, fabricated at a pilot-line battery manufacture facility at Warwick University, which supplies all the materials for the consortium to ensure consistency and high standards. Key collaborators for this work are Prof. Clare Grey (University of Cambridge), Prof. Robert Weatherup (University of Oxford) and Prof. Louis Piper (University of Warwick), among others. 

This post is suitable for chemists or materials scientists with a PhD (awarded or imminent) and a strong background in electrochemistry and/or analytical techniques. The successful candidate will have a good publication record and enjoy working in the lab.

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact:

Dr Nuria Garcia-Araez (N.Garcia-Araez@soton.ac.uk).

*Applications will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification.  The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon completion of PhD.  Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given. 

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