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Next-generation battery research offers electric cars a boost

Research Excellence | Strategy 10: Research Culture
Theme: Innovation
UBCO doctoral student Yue Zhang holds up a sample of tellurium, while Dr. Jian Liu shows a tiny and powerful disc battery that uses the mining waste product.

Researchers at the Advanced Materials for Energy Storage Lab at UBC Okanagan are working to create a battery that is smaller and more powerful than existing models in the market. The project, a collaboration between UBCO and Fenix Advanced Materials, uses solid state lithium tellurium technology to create batteries with more power and improved safety ratings, all in a smaller form factor.

“Advancements in solid-state batteries are propelling the EV industry forward along with the added benefit of advancing emerging devices in medicine and communications,” explains Dr. Jian Liu, Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at UBC Okanagan “All-solid-state, lithium-tellurium batteries enable higher energy output with an improved safety rating inside a smaller form-factor, thereby expanding its possible applications.”.

Tellurium, a critical component in these batteries, is a mining waste product. Dr. Liu says, “The BC Interior has a wealth of these raw materials which bodes well for developing and manufacturing of next-generation lithium-tellurium batteries within a circular economy.”

Please visit the UBC Okanagan News website to read the full story.

Through Strategy 10: Research Culture, UBC is committed to fostering a strong and diverse research culture that brings positive impact in communities.