Multi-user equipment approved in grant 23/17560-0: battery cycler

• Grant number: 25/03786-2
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2032
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Josué Martins Gonçalves
• Grantee: Josué Martins Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Instituto Mackenzie de Pesquisas em Grafeno e Nanotecnologias. Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/17560-0 - Designing new high-entropy coordination compounds via spray-drying and their derivatives for energy conversion and storage, AP.JP

Abstract

This researcher project aims to establish a new high-quality research group focused on designing high-entropy coordination compounds and their derivatives in Brazil, within the MackGraphe - Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie (MackGraphe-IPM). While MackGraphe-IPM features emerging research groups in various fields, including supercapacitor devices for energy storage, the institute lacks groups dedicated to the growing field of heterogeneous electrocatalysis for green hydrogen production through water-splitting promoted by 'high-entropy materials' (HEMs), specifically high-entropy coordination compounds and their derivatives (which can also be used as cathodes in sodium- or lithium-ion batteries). The candidate intends to fill this gap while working closely with research groups from MackGraphe-IPM and other well-established groups from different institutions, combining infrastructure and complementary expertise. The activities of the proposed research group will encompass the design of electrode materials based on high-entropy metal glycerolates (HE-Glys) and their derivatives, employing a particularly new synthesis route that is easily scalable, namely spray-drying. Specifically, our proposal focuses on the controlled synthesis of nanostructured HE-Glys and their derivatives in the form of high-entropy metal oxides, targeting energy applications. The research project is divided into four parts: (i) Design and controlled synthesis of HE-Glys and their derivatives using the spray-drying technique, easily scalable for the preparation of novel HE-Glys; (ii) Electrocatalytic applications for energy conversion, especially water-splitting for green hydrogen production via water electrolysis; (iii) Applications as active cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries; (iv) Comparison of these new electrode materials obtained by spray-drying with their counterparts prepared using conventional solvothermal methods for their respective applications. The success of this project will enable the creation of a new research area and represent a strategic proposal for energy transition, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with various national and international institutions. (AU)