Rational Design of Materials for a Clean Energy Future

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Puru Jena

Physics Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-2000, USA

pjena@vcu.edu

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ABSTRACT:

 

Clean, abundant, and sustainable energy is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century. Fossil fuels that account for more than 80% of the world’s current energy needs are not only limited, but also are harmful to the environment. While renewable energy sources such as solar and hydrogen together can meet this need, considerable material challenges remain before they can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. I will outline some of the material challenges in energy storage and conversion, with particular emphasis on hydrogen storage [1], Li-ion batteries [2-4], and perovskite-based solar cells [5]. A common feature of all these materials is that they are complex salts where their negative ion components can be identified as super-halogen clusters mimicking the chemistry of halogens, but with electron affinities that far exceed that of any halogen atom. This realization has made it possible to use the vast advances in cluster science to design novel materials for energy applications. I will discuss how a rational design of clusters can lead to the synthesis of halogen-free electrolytes in metal-ion batteries; moisture-resistant organic hybrid perovskites in solar cells, and complex borohydrides for hydrogen storage [6, 7]. Experimental evidence will be provided to establish the predictive capability of our theory.

 

1. P. Jena: “Materials for Hydrogen Storage: Past, Present, and Future”, J. Phys. Chem. Letters 2, 206 (2011).

2. S. Giri, S. Behera, and P. Jena: “Superhalogens as Building Blocks of Halogen-free Electrolytes in Li-ion Batteries”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 53, 13916 (2014).

3. H. Zhao, J. Zhou, and P. Jena: “Stability of B12(CN)122- and its implication for Li/Mg ion batteries”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (VIP) 55, 3704 (2016)

4. P. Jena, “Superhalogens: A Bridge between Complex Metal Hydrides and Li-ion Batteries”. J. Phys. Chem. Letters 6, 1119 (2015).

5. H. Fang, and P. Jena, “Super-ion Inspired Colorful Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells”, J. Mat. Chem. A 4, 4728 (2016)

6. Y. Liu, S. Giri, J. Zhou, and P. Jena: “Intermediate phases during decomposition of metal borohydrides, M(BH4)n (M=Na, Mg, Y)”, J. Phys. Chem. C 118, 28456 (2014)

7. D. A. Knight, R., Zidan, R. Lascola, R. Mohtadi, C. Ling, P. K. Sivasubramaniam, J. A.  Kaduk, S. -J. , Hwang, D. Samanta,  and P. Jena.: “Stabilization of Hydrogen rich, yet highly pyrophoric Al(BH4)3 via the synthesis of the hypersalt K[Al(BH4)4]”, J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 19905 (2013)

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BIOGRAPHIE:

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Purusottam Jena

Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-2000

Phone: (804)828-8991, Fax: (804)828-7073, Email: pjena@vcu.edu 

 

Professional Preparation

B.Sc. (Hons), Physics, Utkal University, Orissa, India, 1964

M.Sc., Physics, Utkal University, Orissa, India, 1966

Ph. D., University of California, Riverside, 1970 

 

Appointments

2007-08   Jefferson Science Fellow, US Department of State

2005-       Distinguished Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University

1982-05   Professor of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University

1989-91   Chairman, Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University

1986-87   Program Director, Division of Materials Research, NSF

1980-82   Associate Professor of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University

1978-80   Associate Professor of Physics, Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI

1977-78   Visiting Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL

1975-77   Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

1973-75   Research Associate in Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

1971-73   Postdoctoral Fellow in Physics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S.

1970-71   Lecturer in Physics, State University of New York, Albany, NY 

 

Honors and Awards

Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist, 2015

Presidential Medallion, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011

Member, Presidential Commission on US-Russia Bilateral Collaboration on Nanoscience, 2010

Jefferson Distinguished Lecture, US Department of State, 2009

Jefferson Science Fellow, US Department of State, 2007-08

Distinguished Professor of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2005-

David Hare Professorship Lecture, Indian Association of Cultivation of Science, 2005

Fellow, American Physical Society, 2000

Outstanding Faculty Award, State Council of Higher Education of Virginia, (Awarded by the Governor of Virginia for outstanding teaching, scholarship, and service), 2001

University Award of Excellence, Virginia Commonwealth University, (The highest award recognizing outstanding contribution to teaching, research, and service), 1993

Chair, Gordon Conference on Hydrogen-Metal Systems, 1993

Distinguished Scholar Award, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1987

430 invited talks including 206 at international conferences in 30 countries

 

Selected Publications

Total publications (13 edited books, 16 review articles/book chapters, 498 original papers in peer reviewed journals, 54 publications in refereed conference proceedings, 2 reports, and 3 patents)

Web of science: h-index 64, Total Citations ~ 15,300