Alexandra Jones, PhD Student.

Project: Membranes for Redox-Flow Batteries

Alex studied her MChem at Cardiff University which included a year abroad to Bologna, Italy for her third year where she researched electrocatalysis. Her masters focussed on heterogeneous catalysis. She is now part of the NOWNANO CDT for 2D materials at UoM which has led her to her current project.

Alex research project is based upon improving the membranes within redox-flow batteries through the application of 2D materials such as MoS₂ and GO. Redox-flow batteries are promising electrochemical devices for grid-scale energy storage, because of their ability to store large amounts of energy, their design flexibility, and their long lifetimes. The membranes currently used account for up to 40 % of the cost and limit the battery’s lifetime. Through her work, Alex aims to use 2D materials to reduce the cost and improve the membrane properties of these batteries.