Multi-physical characterization of potassium hybrid supercapacitors for performance improvement

Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DES-25-0388  

Thesis topic details

Category

Engineering science

Thesis topics

Multi-physical characterization of potassium hybrid supercapacitors for performance improvement

Contract

Thèse

Job description

The PhD subject focuses on the optimization of potassium hybrid supercapacitors (KIC), which combine the properties of supercapacitors (power, cyclability) and batteries (energy). This system, developed at the CEA, represents a promising technology, low cost and without critical/strategic materials. However, performance optimization still requires overcoming various obstacles observed in previous work, in particular on the intercalation of potassium in graphite and the heating phenomena of cells during operation. In order to explore in depth the operating mechanisms of the KIC system, an essential part of the thesis project will include experiments conducted at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility), where advanced diffraction and imaging techniques will be used to analyze the structure of the materials and their behavior in real operating conditions. The processing of the data collected will also be crucial in order to establish correlations between the physicochemical properties of the materials and the overall performance of the system. This thesis will contribute to the fundamental understanding of the multi-physical mechanisms at stake in KIC to develop innovative design strategies and thus improve their capacity, energy efficiency and lifetime.

University / doctoral school

Ingénierie - Matériaux - Environnement - Energétique - Procédés - Production (IMEP2)
Université Grenoble Alpes

Thesis topic location

Site

Grenoble

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2025

Person to be contacted by the applicant

YVENAT Marie-Eve marie-eve.yvenat@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DEHT//L2PC
CEA Centre de Grenoble
17 avenue des Martyrs
38000 Grenoble
0438785923

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

CELLE Caroline caroline.celle@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DEHT//LM
Centre de Grenoble
17, rue des Martyrs
38054 GRENOBLE Cedex 9
0438784786

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