Speakers

Rechargeable batteries using Zn/Mg metal as the negative electrode are compelling candidates for sustainable electrochemical storage applications at large and intermediate scales. Yet, their development is hindered by the limited choice of positive electrode host materials. The talk will present two such materials for reversible Zn2+/Mg2+ intercalation that raise the prospects of developing Zn/Mg based rechargeable battery technologies.

Dr. Dipan Kundu is a materials and electrochemical scientist with 8 years of research experience in electrochemical energy storage, specifically, rechargeable batteries. He received his PhD in 2012 from ETH Zürich working on electroactive materials for Li-ion batteries. After that he joined the group of Prof. Linda F. Nazar at the University of Waterloo and focused on functional materials development toward improving the electrochemical performance characteristics of various rechargeable battery chemistries such as Na-ion, Li-O2, and Li-S. His current research interests include nanostructured intercalation host materials for aqueous Zn-ion batteries, solid electrolytes and all solid state batteries. Dipan has co-authored 16 peer reviewed journal articles and 3 patent/patent applications on battery materials

Nazar lab's research focus encompasses complex material synthesis, physical and structural characterization, electrochemical testing and electrode design for various energy storage devices. Promising new directions particularly lie in nanomaterials. They offer the possibility of moving into the realm of high-capacity systems that operate on the basis of intimate contact of the redox active components. The research employs a range of physical chemistry techniques, including ex-situ and in-situ studies involving X-ray/neutron diffraction, Raman microprobe and NMR spectroscopies, combined with fundamental electrochemical studies used to examine the underlying processes in solids. We are a multidisciplinary group consisting of students enrolled in the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.