NTU MSE Seminar Hosted by Professor Patrice Simon
Abstract
Electrochemical energy storage, primarily driven by the development of electric mobility, has now become a major societal and economic issue (reducing dependence on fossil fuels and combating CO₂ emissions). While batteries can store high energy densities (>250 Wh/kg), they are limited in terms of power. Conversely, supercapacitors, which store energy through the adsorption of electrolyte ions onto carbon electrodes with high specific surface area, offer a complementary solution to batteries for high-power applications. The reactions in these systems involve ionic and electronic transfers at the solid/electrolyte interface within porous electrodes. The performance of these electrodes depends on the transport and transfer kinetics of the species within the porous carbon.
In this presentation, we will show how advanced electrochemical techniques can be employed to characterize ionic and electronic transport at the nanometer scale in these electrodes. We will show that the confinement of electrolytes within sub-nanometer pores significantly alters their solvation degree, resulting in unique and advantageous properties for electrochemical energy storage. These findings underscore the critical influence of ion–electrode interaction strength and cation desolvation on the charging mechanisms, revealing promising strategies for optimizing capacitive energy storage performance. Additionally, they emphasize the role of the potential of zero charge (PZC) as a fundamental design parameter that governs nanoscale ion dynamics and carbon–electrolyte interactions in both two- and three-dimensional porous carbon architectures.
These insights are essential for the development of efficient, high-power, and fast-response energy storage systems across a broad spectrum of applications.
Biography
Professor Patrice Simon
Toulouse University, France
Patrice Simon is Exceptional Class Professor of Material Science at Toulouse University (France). His research activities focus on the fundamental understanding of electrochemical processes occurring at the material / electrolyte interfaces in electrodes for electrochemical energy storage devices (batteries and electrochemical capacitors). He is leading the National Research Program on Batteries (PEPR Batteries 2023-2029), and the French Network on Electrochemical Energy Storage (RS2E). Patrice Simon is Fellow of the French Academy of Sciences (2019), Academia Europaea (2019) and European Academy of Sciences (2020).
