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Crystallography of Oxides, Battery Materials and Entire Devices

This talk will be divided into three parts highlighting the range of research that is undertaken in my group.

First, our work exploring new oxides for low and zero thermal expansion materials will be highlighted. My team have found extremely thermally stable materials, materials with effectively a zero coefficient of thermal expansion from 4 to 1400 K. We have developed a wide range of compositions showing low thermal expansion and now are exploring the pressure-based response of these materials, do they show low/zero coefficients of thermal expansion at different pressures? 

Second, our work on understanding battery materials and devices will be showcased. A large proportion of the function of batteries arises from the electrodes, and these are in turn mediated by the atomic-scale perturbations during an electrochemical process (e.g., battery use). My team uses a combination of techniques, ex situ, in situ and operando to understand how atomic scale evolution impacts performance. In particular, the operando work results in an atomic level “video” of device function which can be directly correlated to performance parameters such as energy density, lifetime (or degradation), rate capability and safety. Examples using operando neutron and synchrotron powder diffraction to probe lithium- and sodium-ion battery materials and ex situ solid-state NMR to probe lithium-sulfur battery materials will be discussed.

Finally, I will discuss the notion of sustainability in battery materials and processes – how green can we make the batteries of the future? Can we design battery materials to be completely sustainable? Can we avoid using toxic chemicals in the production of electrodes? Can we be clever about recycling? Various examples will be given in this space which will hopefully encourage further ideas and research in this space.

Biography

Prof. Sharma completed his Ph.D. at the University of Sydney then moved to the Bragg Institute at Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) for a post-doc. He started at the School of Chemistry, UNSW on an Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) Research Fellowship followed by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) and an ARC Future Fellow.

Prof. Sharma has won the Society of Australian and New Zealand Crystallographers (SCANZ) Mattieson Medal (2023), NSW Premiers Prize for Science and Engineering (Early Career Researcher in Physical Sciences, 2019), Australian Synchrotron Research Award (2018), RACI Rennie Memorial Medal for Chemical Science (2018), UNSW Postgraduate Supervisor Award (2017) and a NSW Young Tall Poppy Award (2014).

Prof. Sharma’s research interests are based on solid state chemistry, designing new materials and investigating their structure-property relationships. Neeraj’s projects are typically highly collaborative working with colleagues from all over the world with a range of skillsets. Neeraj is also the co-founder and director of the Australian Battery Society, a not-for-profit bringing the Australian battery community together.