Research Associate in 3D Printing Electrodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

at  Imperial College London

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Further information about the post is available in the job description.

The post is available for 12 months from August 2024 and will be based in South Kensington Campus with some elements of research being conducted in White City. Starting salary is determined on experience and on appointment will be limited to a maximum of SP 19, £46,734 owing to funding restrictions.

• Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant, £38,194 to £41,388.

AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

• Download: Job Description Research Associate.Pdf

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.
If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don’t hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We’re here to help.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Department of Chemical Engineering is seeking a Research Associate to join a project on the fabrication of thick, low tortuosity hard carbon-based electrodes derived from biomass for Sodium-ion batteries (SIB). The project will be a part of a larger EPSRC-funded project investigating bio-derived and bio-inspired materials for sustainable industries, that will involve multiple research groups across different universities and industry partners. It presents a unique chance to contribute to a highly interdisciplinary project working to address the decarbonisation of the UK economy across different sectors by creating a more sustainable advanced materials chain in the UK, through combined expertise across academic and industrial based research.
The UK must transition to net zero emissions by 2050. Batteries will play a pivotal role in reaching a zero-carbon economy, and it will become necessary to diversify our portfolio of available battery technologies based on abundant and more sustainable materials if we are to meet net zero targets as well as meet growing energy demands in the future. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are one of the most promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), due to the inherently high natural abundance of sodium compared with lithium in the Earth. One of the most significant challenges of SIB technology is designing low-cost and high-performance electrode materials, in particular anode materials. There is an estimated 26.4 Mt of biowaste produced a year in the UK. Utilising biowaste and their efficient conversion into advanced electrode materials suitable for energy storage applications could help address these pressing demands.

WHAT YOU WOULD BE DOING

The successful applicant will be expected to formulate and characterise hard carbon-based inks suitable for printing. The rheological properties of the inks will be fully characterised. They will fabricate self-standing electrodes using Direct Ink Writing (DIW) printing technique. Printed electrodes will be fully characterised including electrochemical characterisation in a half-cell configuration. Full SIBs will be assembled and characterised including electrochemical testing in pouch and swage-lock cell configurations. In addition, the applicant will be a part of the larger EPSRC project and as such will need to engage with and actively foster collaborations with internal and external project partners to address key project objectives.