Na-ion Batteries & Redox Flow Batteries for a Sustainable Energy Future

Maria and Ana presented their approaches to sustainable energy storage at the Night of Science and Engineering, held at The Octagon, on the 29th February 2024.

We need batteries to store energy from renewables to be able to cope with their inherent intermittency and move away from fossil fuels.

However, those batteries should also be engineered with sustainable and abundant resources that do not rely on fossil fuels either.

At the Night of Science and Engineering, they showcased their approaches to sustainable batteries based on the use of recycled materials and biomass resources combined with innovative processing techniques.

Thanks Carlos, Hattie and Michael! It was such a great event. Feel very proud of you all! 🙂

Ana gives a talk at the IIWPECE in Tenerife

Ana was invited to give a talk at the IIWPECE held at the Universidad La Laguna, in Tenerife. This is the institution where Ana did her degree in Chemistry, which she finished in 2004. 20 years later she was back to close the cycle as Professor. Time really flies!

QMUL Flow Battery Symposium January 2024

The QMUL Flow Battery Symposium was held at The Colette Bowen room on the 25th January 2024 and counted with very engaging speakers, including Prof Fikile Brushett (MIT), Emma Latchem (Cambridge), Dr Michael Thielke (QMUL), Dr Qilei Song (Imperial), Prof Rob Dryfe (Manchester), Dr. Qing Dai (Cambridge), Alex Quinn (MIT) and Dr Hugh O’Connor (Belfast). Thanks to all the participants for a fantastic event!

Carlos first paper just published in ACS Materials Au

Congratulations to Carlos on his first paper, also as first author! Carlos’ work on spin selective electron transport on chiral systems for oxygen evolution reaction has just been published in ACS Mater Au. This has been the result of a 4 year- collaborative project with Dr Bob Schroeder from UCL. More related work to be published soon….Well done, Carlos!

Ana is shortlisted for the 2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship!

Ana Sobrido has been shortlisted for this year’s Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship Award for her work on solar flow batteries, a niche technology able to directly store solar energy and use it to photocharge a battery.

The Journal of Materials Chemistry annual lectureship honours researchers who have made a significant contribution to the field of materials chemistry.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has put together a collection featuring some of the shortlisted candidates’ recent work published in their journals.

Pumpkin Carving

The group enjoyed a well deserved break from research to do some pumpkin carving. It was a lot of fun. The winner was Brittany with her Catrina-looking pumpkin, followed by Mauricio who carved a courgette very skillfully and Jesus with a pumpkin in honour of the Dia de Los Muertos.

Ana has been promoted to Professor! :-) August 2023

Ana has been promoted to Professor! Prof Jorge Sobrido started her independent career at QMUL as Academic Fellow in 2016, before becoming Lecturer in 2019, Senior Lecturer 2019, Reader in 2021 and now Full Professor! She is lucky to have a fantastic research team that has contribute to her success. Also an amazing bunch that welcome her with balloons on her office door to congratulate her after her promotion. Celebrations are due! 😀

Collaboration with NPU Results in a Publication in Science – July 2023

A collaboration led by NPU’s academic Prof Xuanhua Li in collaboration with Dr Ana Sobrido has resulted in a publication in Science, In situ photocatalytically enhanced thermogalvanic cells for electricity and hydrogen production.

In thermogalvanic cells, temperature-driven concentration gradients of redox active species can lead to a potential difference that can produce electricity. This work describes a pioneering system combining electricity generation with H2 production by harnessing energy from solar radiation.

The photocatalytically enhanced thermogalvanic devices were demonstrated through an in situ–induced photocatalytic process that produced a continuous concentration gradient of FeCN4– and FeCN3– ions on both hot and cold sides. The system displayed a photocatalytically enhanced thermopower of 8.2 mV K−1 accompanied by simultaneous solar-driven water splitting with an STH efficiency of up to 0.4%.