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The year 2024 was the hottest on record, with global temperatures surpassing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time [1]. This milestone highlights the urgent need to deploy clean energy technologies and sustainable materials to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
A successful transition to renewables requires eco-friendly solutions for electrochemical energy conversion and storage, such as batteries, and supercapacitors [2]. Green strategies — like using secondary raw materials and bio-based resources — are key to enabling this shift.
Ore approach involves the synthesis of non-stoichiometric δ-MnO2 from manganese recovered from Brazilian mining tailings, offering a sustainable route to high-performance anode materials for next-generation batteries [3].

References
[1] The Copernicus Global Climate Highlights Report 2024.
[2] Innovative Advanced Materials for Europe (IAM4EU). Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), November 2024.
[3] Angeletti et al. Sustain. Mater. Technol. 2025, 44, e01347.

Carbon materials such as graphite and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are important in energy storage technologies, particularly in lithium-ion batteries. However, their conventional production—through mining or synthesis from fossil-based feedstocks—has large environmental impacts.

A sustainable alternative is converting CO₂ emissions directly into graphite and CNTs using molten salt carbon capture and electrochemical transformation (MSCC-ET). This energy-efficient process operates at lower temperatures, avoids fossil-based feedstock such as petroleum coke, and allows production of battery-grade graphite with a climate-negative footprint.

The resulting materials meet the performance requirements for advanced battery applications and offer a scalable, cost-competitive solution for local carbon material production.

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With the onset of advanced computing and rising specifications of high-performance electronics, energy storage or batteries have become the main bottleneck in realizing full performance needs. Among the many nascent, emerging battery materials, silicon has become the primary, go-to solution to eliminate performance ceilings. However, steep manufacturing costs and difficulty procuring input precursors limit the integration of silicon anodes in lithium-ion batteries. This talk explores the different types of silicon anode materials and the technical and market opportunities that silicon-enhanced batteries will pave for the electronics industry.

Lithium metal anodes offer an exceptionally high theoretical capacity of 3860 mAh g⁻¹ and the lowest negative electrochemical potential among known anode materials, making them a promising candidate for next-generation batteries. However, their practical application is hindered by critical safety challenges, including dendritic growth that can induce short-circuits, and thermal hazards arising from the high reactivity of lithium, especially in porous structures. Various approaches have been explored to mitigate these issues—such as solid and semi-solid electrolytes, tailored electrolyte formulations and additives, conformal surface coatings, and engineered current collectors—but many face limitations under lean-electrolyte and low-stack-pressure conditions. Recently, 3D host structures have emerged as a compelling strategy to confine lithium deposition and regulate Li-ion flux, enabling compact, non-porous lithium growth and improved cycling stability. This presentation will discuss the fundamental principles of lithium-metal anodes, review recent advances in host-structure design, and outline pathways toward integrating such architectures into practical cell configurations.

We have invented, brought to market and scaled modern Si/C composites that deliver more energy and power density to lithium-ion batteries and enable faster charge, without compromising the battery safety or cycle life. These materials feature porous conductive scaffolding particles infiltrated with nano-Si and sealed to minimize undesirable side reactions with electrolytes and volume changes during cycling. SiH4 gas is currently used as the Si precursor. This novel class of materials is remarkably robust and can replace graphite in the anodes entirely, making it a game changer for the industry. Millions of devices are already powered by Li-ion batteries with Si/C anodes. In less than a decade nearly all new consumer devices, robots, drones and electric transportation will rely on this material technology. This talk will provide an overview of the latest technical achievements and the technology roadmap for the future.

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As the demand for fast-charging, long-life, and safe lithium-ion batteries grows across sectors such as electric mobility, industrial power tools, and stationary storage, the limitations of conventional anode materials are becoming increasingly apparent. Graphite, while energy-dense, struggles with rate capability, cycle life and safety under high loads. Lithium titanate (LTO) , a widely used alternative material for power applications, offers excellent cycle life and thermal stability but is hindered by high cost, low energy density, and energy demanding processing.
This presentation explores the development and industrialization of a new class of titanium-based anode materials designed to address these trade-offs. These materials combine the structural stability and safety profile of LTO with improved energy density and significantly lower production costs. By leveraging abundant raw materials and new and scalable synthesis methods, they offer a compelling pathway toward high-performance, cost-effective, and competitive power-oriented batteries.
We will present key electrochemical performance metrics, including fast-charging capability, long cycle life , and thermal resilience. The talk will also address manufacturability and the importance of consistent quality output, compatibility with existing cell designs, and the broader implications for accelerating the adoption of high-power lithium-ion technologies in a cost-sensitive and sustainability-driven market.

Several emerging battery technologies are currently considered to take the share of the
dominant position taken by lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are
among the most promising alternatives, offering significant advantages such as greater
sustainability, lower projected material costs, compatibility with existing LIB manufacturing
facilities, and enhanced safety features like 0V storage capability.
The recent industrial investments reflect the accelerated progress toward commercial
viability. However, SIBs still face challenges, particularly their lower energy density
compared to LIBs. While several cathode materials have been proposed, hard carbon (HC)
has become the preferred anode for SIBs.
This presentation highlights the development of 1Ah sodium-ion pouch cells using Prussian
White (PW) cathodes and biomass-derived HC anodes. Both electrodes are processed in
water, aligning with goals of low toxicity, cost, and environmental impact. However, the
inherently low density of PW and HC limits the cells' volumetric energy density. To overcome
this, alloying-type anodes like tin (Sn) are being investigated for their high capacity,
conductivity, and density. Despite challenges like volume expansion during cycling, our
research shows that micrometric Sn can form a stable, porous “coral-like” network that
resists structural degradation—even at high Sn content. This morphology enables improved
volumetric energy density and paves the way for more commercially competitive SIBs.

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Heavy-duty electric vehicles demand batteries that deliver diesel-like performance in power, charging speed, and lifetime. The novel lithium vanadium oxide (LVO) anode overcomes the limitations of conventional graphite materials by enabling ultrafast charge capability without compromising energy density or cycle life. The unique crystal structure and redox behavior of LVO provide exceptional lithium-ion mobility and structural stability under high-rate operation. Paired with high-voltage cathodes, the LVO-based cells achieve rapid charge cycles, long-term durability, and superior thermal safety suitable for commercial and industrial workhorse vehicles. This technology establishes a new class of diesel-grade batteries engineered specifically for the electrification of demanding heavy-duty transport.

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Iron, as one of the Earth's most prevalent elements, presents numerous advantages over scarce and costly materials such as cobalt and nickel. The natural abundance of iron results in lower raw material expenses, making Fe-based battery chemistries more economically feasible, particularly for large-scale uses like grid energy storage. The abundance of iron is a key factor in advancing battery technologies that necessitate affordable and scalable energy storage solutions. Beyond the economic advantages, iron's electrochemical properties facilitate stable redox reactions, which are essential for energy storage systems. Additionally, iron's low toxicity and widespread geographic availability mitigate supply chain risks, bolstering long-term sustainability. These characteristics render Fe-based batteries highly suitable for stationary energy storage and other extensive applications where cost, safety, and durability are critical. This presentation will explore the growing interest in all-soluble Fe-RFB technologies. Unlike conventional hybrid Fe-RFB systems that utilize a hybrid anode, all-soluble Fe-RFB employs soluble electrolytes for both the anode and cathode sides, similar to vanadium RFB systems. This approach allows for the decoupling of energy and power—addressing a key technical challenge faced by conventional hybrid Fe flow batteries—thus overcoming technical limitations and enhancing operational scalability.

Solid-state lithium batteries show promise as a leading technology for next-generation high-energy-density storage, with the ceramic oxide Lithium Lanthanum Zirconium Oxide (LLZO) emerging as a key candidate for solid-state electrolytes due to its high ionic conductivity. However, commercial development has faced significant hurdles in the scalable processing of low-defectivity thin films in a manner suitable for mass-market battery applications. In this defense, I present our research on the formation of amorphous LLZO (a-LLZO) using a blown-arc nitrogen plasma technique to rapidly form thin film a-LLZO, then evaluate the viability of a-LLZO for scalable applications in contrast with the more commonly researched cubic phase.

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