The Yijin Liu group at The University of Texas at Austin is joining a landmark research effort aimed at revolutionizing energy storage technology as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) newly announced Energy Innovation Hub.
This initiative, led by Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, will focus on developing next-generation aqueous batteries capable of providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective large-scale energy storage.
The Yijin Liu group at UT Austin's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Texas Materials Institute (TMI), will contribute its expertise in novel materials development and architecture design. Their work will support the ambitious goals of the Aqueous Battery Consortium (ABC), one of two major projects funded under the DOE’s Energy Innovation Hub Program.
Revolutionizing Energy Storage for a Greener Future
The Aqueous Battery Consortium, with teams spanning 15 institutions across the U.S. and Canada, aims to overcome the limitations of current battery technologies by developing environmentally safe, scalable energy storage technology that use water as the electrolyte. This technology is seen as critical to meeting the growing demand for reliable energy storage in grids powered by intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
Water-based batteries have the potential to revolutionize energy storage," said Yijin Liu, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering at UT Austin. "Our role in the consortium is to focus on developing new materials and architectures that will enhance the performance and durability of aqueous batteries.
A Collaborative Effort for Groundbreaking Innovation
The Liu group will collaborate with top scientists from leading institutions including Stanford University, the University of Waterloo, and others, to develop the advanced materials needed for these technological breakthroughs. The group’s research will leverage operando characterization techniques to understand complex reactions across a wide range of time and length scales and provide insights that inform material design and optimization.
“This collaborative effort gives us the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of energy storage technology and to create solutions that can have a long-lasting impact on both our energy infrastructure and the environment,” Liu added.
Advancing the Mission of UT Austin’s Energy and Sustainability Initiatives
The Yijin Liu group’s participation in this high-profile initiative highlights UT Austin’s broader commitment to advancing energy innovation and sustainability. The Texas Materials Institute (TMI), where Liu is also a core faculty member, is renowned for its interdisciplinary approach to solving global challenges in materials science and engineering. The collaboration with the DOE’s Energy Innovation Hub reinforces UT Austin’s critical role in the development of sustainable technologies that will power the future.
The consortium’s work also aligns with UT Austin’s goals of fostering innovation in renewable energy and reducing the carbon footprint of energy production. By leveraging the expertise of the Liu group and others, the Aqueous Battery Consortium seeks to develop batteries that can be manufactured from abundant materials and function safely and efficiently over long durations, ultimately enabling the widespread use of renewable energy.
About the Aqueous Battery Consortium
The Aqueous Battery Consortium, funded under the DOE’s Energy Innovation Hubs program, will receive up to $62.5 million over five years to research and develop large-scale, grid-compatible aqueous batteries. The project brings together 31 leading scientists from 15 research institutions to tackle key scientific challenges and create energy storage solutions that are safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable. In addition to focusing on technical challenges such as corrosion and low energy density, the consortium is committed to environmental justice and ensuring that the technology developed benefits communities worldwide.
Links:
- Stanford news release: https://abc-hub.stanford.edu/news/scientists-seek-invent-safe-reliable-and-cheap-battery-electricity-grids
- DOE announcement: https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/department-energy-awards-125-million-research-enable-next-generation-batteries-and
- DOE’s Energy Innovation Hub Program: https://science.osti.gov/bes/Research/DOE-Energy-Innovation-Hubs
- ABC hub co-PIs: https://abc-hub.stanford.edu/about/co-principal-investigators
- Yijin Liu group: https://liuyijinustcihepsl.wixsite.com/liugroup
