Lifeng Dong, the Emma K. and Carl R. N. Malmstrom Endowed Chair in Physics, participated as an expert in a roundtable at the second annual Materials and Energy Industry Development conference in China.
He was also a featured speaker, presenting research on advancing lithium-ion battery design for safer, longer-lasting batteries. His work, “Interfacial Regulation and Materials Design for Photo–Electro Energy Storage toward Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries,” aims to improve batteries for everyday electronics, such as laptops and phones, and electric vehicles.
Dong is collaborating with scientists at Qingdao University of Science and Technology in China to integrate solar energy into lithium-ion battery systems, allowing the batteries to store more power. The team is also developing solid-state electrolytes to replace conventional liquid electrolytes, improving safety and enabling reliable operation in cold climates, such as Minnesota.
Their research has appeared in journals including Advanced Functional Materials, Journal of Energy Storage, Renewable Energy, and Journal of Power Sources.
At Hamline, Dong works with collaborators and undergraduate students to design, synthesize and characterize nanoscale materials and devices for energy conversion and storage. Projects include solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, lithium batteries and technologies for water purification and desalination. More information is available through the Hamline University Renewable Energy and Environmental Research (REER) Laboratory.