Guest Seminar - Field-Effect Enhanced Energy Storage: Mechanism and In-situ Characterization
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Energy storage materials and devices represent a strategically prioritized field in China’s development agenda and a critical interdisciplinary frontier in materials and energy sciences. To address the persistent challenge of traditional energy storage batteries, where key metrics are constrained by multiscale material/interface coupling, we achieved the following breakthroughs: We developed the world’s first single-nanowire energy storage devices and in-situ characterization platform for probing electron/ion transport, enabling real-time decoupling of synergistic dynamics and revealing intrinsic degradation mechanisms. By integrating nanowire devices with electron microscopy, we established a high-resolution, non-destructive, in-situ electrochemical characterization system that concurrently resolves atomic structures and electrochemical signals under operando conditions. In addition, we proposed a novel energy storage mechanism leveraging field-effect regulation of electron/ion transport, shifting carrier behavior from static intrinsic properties to dynamic external-field modulation. This paradigm transcends traditional electrochemical systems’ theoretical capacity limits. Key technologies were invented to surpass static theoretical performance ceilings, demonstrating the universality of field-effect-enhanced energy storage across material classes. Moreover, we proposed the innovative strategies of surface-contact reinforcement and high-safety flame-retardation to enhance interfacial stability and ion diffusion kinetics. Critical barriers in high-safety composite current collectors and femtosecond laser precision regulation were overcome, synergistically boosting energy density, safety, and cycle life. Collectively, these technologies establish a pivotal theoretical foundation and accelerate industrial advancement across the broader new energy sector, particularly in large-scale energy storage and electric vehicles.
Prof. Liqiang Mai, Chair Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Vice President of Wuhan University of Technology, National Distinguished Young Scholar (2014), Changjiang Scholar (2016), Leading Talent of the "Ten Thousand Talents Plan" (2016), Chief Scientist of the National Key Research and Development Program, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2018), Fellow of the Chinese Micron and Nanotechnology Society (2022), and Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (2023). As a well-known expert in the field of new energy materials and devices, he has been engaged in research on new energy materials and device science, technology, and applications for a long time. He has constructed the world's first universal new model for in-situ characterization of electron/ion transport in a single nanowire device and established the "Mai Yan" field effect energy storage model. He has also developed electron/ion dual continuous transport theories that regulate electrochemical reaction kinetics, broke through the batch preparation technology of energy storage materials and devices, and achieved the transformation and application of his achievements.
He has published over 550 SCI papers in journals such as Nature (3 papers) and Science (2 papers). He has also published more than 100 highly cited papers, 30 hot topic papers, and has a total of more than 60000 citations in SCI journals. He has written 2 Chinese monographs, 2 English monographs, and 1 textbook. Additionally, he has participated in the compilation of the Chinese Materials Science 2035 Development Strategy. He holds 135 national invention patents, 1 U.S. patent. The high-value patent package has achieved a breakthrough of one hundred million yuan in its transformation and application. The related patents have been successfully transformed and applied in well-known enterprises such as Huawei and Wanrun.
He has hosted over 30 national-level projects, including The National Key Research and Development Program of China. He has won the Second Prize of National Natural Science Award, Ho Leung Ho Lee Science and Technology Innovation Award, the International Electrochemical Energy Science and Technology Conference Excellent Research Award (only 2 people per year), the International Association of Automotive Lithium Batteries Excellent Research Award, the National Teaching Achievement Second Prize, the Ministry of Education/Hubei Province Natural Science First Prize (3 times), and the China Society for Materials Research Technology Invention First Prize as the first author. He has also been selected as a globally highly cited scientist by Clarivate for seven consecutive years (2017-2023).