Departmental Seminar by Dr. Vasily Artemov from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

Electrochemical energy systems, such as batteries and fuel cells, are of great interest for electric energy conversion and storage, particularly in the renewable energy cycle. However, the sustainability of these devices remains elusive. Hazardous elements inside functional layers or at the manufacturing stage raise manifold ecological concerns.

I will discuss electrodynamic anomalies of pure water and aqueous electrolytes at nano- and sub-nano scales, opening the door for using pure freshwater or seawater confined to nanopores in electric energy storage. I will discuss the recent experiments demonstrating size effects in the electrodynamics of aqueous electrolytes at strong confinement and near the interfaces. Based on this data, I will make the basic suggestions for the design of the ‘water-only’ batteries and supercapacitors, suitable for electric energy storage. Finally, I will demonstrate a prototype of the ‘water-only’ battery, introducing the scalable energy reservoir, compatible with wind- and solar-powered systems. Further research in this direction should reduce hazardous waste and contribute to a more sustainable global energy system.