Brazil and UK collaboration for energy storage and supply

Abstract

This project aims to create an international collaboration between two research groups from Brazil and UK, which have mutual interest. The ongoing Fapesp grant is related to energy storage and supply and is concerned with developing and applying supercapacitor devices. The interest in this field is primarily due to the fact that such devices can be charged in seconds with energy density in order of kWh/kg, providing electrical power density in the magnitude of kW/kg. This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the time taken to charge devices such as mobiles, laptops, electric vehicles, satellites and hospital equipment. The Brazilian Group has been developing and preparing many carbon-based materials, which are currently being assembled into supercapacitor devices. For the next step, it is desirable to study the specific performance of these supercapacitor and evaluate the effect of Lithium-ion intercalation on those porous carbon electrodes (as a Faredaic component of the stored and supplied energy). In this step the UK Group collaboration takes place. The UK Group has extensive manufacturing and testing expertise and equipment for the study of conventional and novel lithium ions batteries. The UK Group will study the performance of supercapacitors prepared by the Brazilian Group but also use the Brazilian Groups carbon-based materials to develop new hybrid-supercapacitors/batteries. Beyond the fundamental studies of conventional and new classes of carbon material, this collaboration has potential to develop a hybrid-supercapacitor prototypes, which have the potential to be a product for international university spin off. We are requesting a complementary € 10,000 per year to fund the extra research costs involved in the collaboration for each group as discussed by the individual Group leaders. The Group leaders have met in person during the Elsol (electrochemical solutions for complementary problems) conference funded by British Council and Fapesp to encourage international collaboration between young investigators from Brazil and UK. Both Group´s leaders have published in high quality journals and have been producing technologies/patents [2a-s], which encourage this international collaboration. (AU)