Research
Vlad NRJ Group research has primarily focus on design and synthesis of materials and architectures to address the new challenges arising in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Due to the unique combination of research background in organic materials and inorganic nanomaterials, our group develops interest in novel electrolyte chemistries and interfacial transport phenomena; alkali metal batteries and SEI studies; along with synthesis and electrochemistry of exotic inorganic phases for alkali and alkali earth cation storage.
Thanks largely to the ERC Grant (MOOiRE, GA 770870) awarded to Prof. Vlad in 2017, a major expertise was consolidated on organic and organometallic chemistries and materials for energy storage, incl.: high-voltage organic battery materials; Metal Organic Frameworks with mixed redox of organic and metal centers; and mixed ionic-electronic conducting MOFs for battery and supercapacitor applications. Vlad NRJ Group was founded in September 2015.
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Focus 1: New Organic Battery Electrode Materials
By designing and synthesizing new organic battery materials, we also aim to learn more about fundamental processes such as electron and ion transport through ordered solids, solid-phase structural changes, and correlation between the molecular and solid-state electrochemistry of organic materials.
Representative Publications:
- Conjugated sulfonamides as a class of organic lithium-ion positive electrodes, (2021) Nature Materials.
- Empowering magnesium, (2020) Nature Energy.
- Through-Space Charge Modulation Overriding Substituent Effect: Rise of the Redox Potential at 3.35 v in a Lithium-Phenolate Stereoelectronic Isomer, (2020) Chemistry of Materials.
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Focus 2: Exotic Inorganic Battery Electrode and Electrolyte Materials
Whereas organic batteries are the future, inorganic batteries are the present and require urgent solutions. We challenge this realm by looking at unconventional ceramic phases and their reactivity, smart electrolytes and interfaces.
Representative Publications:
- Mixed Anionic and Cationic Redox Chemistry in a Tetrathiomolybdate Amorphous Coordination Framework, (2020) Angewandte Chemie – International Edition.
- Lithium Diffusion in Copper, (2019) Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
- Negative Redox Potential Shift in Fire-Retardant Electrolytes and Consequences for High-Energy Hybrid Batteries, (2019) ACS Applied Energy Materials.
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Focus 3: Mixed Ion-Electron Conductive MOFs for Applications in Energy Research
Our interest here combines expertise and developments in both, organic and inorganic battery materials, and trying to address these through hybrid molecular structures, aka. MOFs. We study several aspects of MOFs, ranging from their formation mechanisms to ion and electron transport behavior and aiming at their stimuli-responsive behavior (light, catalysis, energy conversion and generation).
Representative Publications:
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An Electrically Conducting Li-ion MOF, (2021) Journal of American Chemical Society.
- Phendione–Transition-Metal Complexes with Bipolar Redox Activity for Lithium Batteries, (2020) ChemSusChem.
- Supercapacitors: Porous materials get energized, (2017) Nature Materials.
Funding
Our programs could not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.
