Monday, 18 September 4:00pm – 5:00pm

This seminar will be delivered in Chemistry Lecture Theatre 4

Speaker: Dr Hiroyuki Ueda, Deakin University

Host: Dr Kaye Kang

Title: Electrochemistry in Ionic Liquids and Plastic Crystals: From Interfacial Phenomena to Battery Applications

Abstract: Ionic liquids (ILs) and their solid-state analogues called organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs), which are composed of pairs of ions, are promising electrolytes for electrochemical applications including rechargeable batteries. A fundamental understanding of the electrochemical behaviours and physicochemical properties of these materials at electrodes helps control them to acquire the desired interfacial characteristics for specific applications.

In the 1st part of the seminar, I will explain how the choice of IL cations and anions is important in (i) achieving the highest number of multiple redox reactions of fullerene films for electrochemical devices (e.g., batteries, electrochromic devices); and in (ii) facilitating gold dissolution for eco-friendly leaching without using harmful complexing ligands.

As an introduction to the studies on rechargeable batteries, the 2nd part of the seminar will briefly show what I have achieved through my industry career as a battery development engineer, especially focusing on the realisation of the room-temperature operation of solid-state batteries (SSBs) where interfacial engineering underpins battery performance.

The 3rd part of the seminar will describe the outstanding functions of OIPCs as both ion conductors and binders in the electrodes for SSBs. Here, the excellent rate and cycle performances of graphite- and silicon-OIPC composite electrodes will be presented, and their origins will be discussed (below figure). Lastly, our newly built battery prototyping facility, i.e., the Battery Research and Innovation Hub will be introduced.

Bio: Dr Hiroyuki Ueda completed his PhD at Kumamoto University (Japan) in 2016. As an R&D employee, he developed lithium-ion batteries and SSBs in three companies in Japan. After joining Deakin University in 2020, he studied OIPC-containing electrodes with Toyota Motor Corporation under the ARC Linkage Project. He is currently an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow developing OIPC-based SSBs to achieve practical performance through commercially viable processes.