Title: Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites for Safe and Sustainable Energy Storage

Abstract
To satisfy the growing demand for advanced technologies, such as portable electronics and electric vehicles, the development of multifunctional and mechanically robust energy storage devices with enhanced safety, higher energy densities, and affordable cost is necessary. The major challenge, though, is that conventional electrodes and gel/solid electrolytes suffer from poor mechanical performance, and mechanical and energy storage properties come at a trade-off. In the first part of this presentation, we utilize branched Kevlar nanofibers as binders for mechanically strong electrodes for various energy storage devices, including lithium-ion batteries, zinc-ion batteries, and supercapacitors. In the second part, we investigate gel electrolytes and address the trade-off between ion-conduction and mechanical robustness. We study the effect of branched ionic polymers with various ionic group densities on the properties of ionogels of co-assembled cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals. To elucidate the well-balanced properties of the nanocomposite electrodes and ionogels, the branched polymers’ specific architectural design and the complementary interfacial interactions within the nanocomposites were investigated. Finally, future research interests regarding polymer nanocomposites for sustainable and stimuli-responsive energy storage devices will be discussed.

Bio
Paraskevi (Evi) Flouda is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology working with Professor Vladimir V. Tsukruk. In 2021, she received her PhD from Texas A&M under the supervision of Professor Jodie J. Lutkenhaus and Professor Dimitris C. Lagoudas. Prior to this, Flouda received her undergraduate diploma in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Ioannina, Greece, and completed an internship at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany. Flouda’s research focuses on polymer nanocomposites with unique architectures and morphologies for energy storage applications. In addition, Flouda has received several awards and was named a 2022 ACS PMSE Future Faculty Scholar.