Cellulose Biopolymer-based Flexible Nanofibrous Composite Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Next Generation Sodium-ion Batteries
Project overview
This project aims to address the challenges and opportunities in the green expansion of battery technology, particularly the transition from conventional lithium-based batteries (LIBs) to solid-state sodium ion batteries (ss-SIBs).
With the global battery market currently reliant on LIBs and facing sustainability concerns due to the limited availability of lithium, ss-SIBs emerge as a promising alternative. These batteries leverage the abundant and cheaper sodium, avoiding the use of scarce materials like cobalt or nickel, significantly reducing costs. Despite their advantages, ss-SIBs confront hurdles such as lower electrode capacity, complex manufacturing processes and poor mechanical properties in flexible applications.
This project proposes a novel nanoengineering approach by developing a green, cellulose-based, electrospinning, nanofibrous advanced composite solid polymer electrolyte for ss-SIBs. The goal is to overcome the challenges of ss-SIBs and advance the technology from material research to prototyping and manufacturing.
Key project details
| Principal investigator | Qingye (Gemma) Lu, associate professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary |
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Co-principal investigators |
Jinguang Hu, associate professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary; Xia Li, assistant professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering and Concordia University Research Chair in in High Energy Rechargeable Batteries, Concordia University | |
Research collaborators |
Michael Liu, director, Cancarbon Technologies Inc. | |
| Non-academic partners | Cancarbon Technologies Inc. | |
| Research Keywords | Cellulose, biopolymer, nanofibrous, composite, solid-state electrolyte, sodium- ion batteries | |
| Budget | Cash: $200,000 In-kind: $130,000 |
Publications:
Q. Yu et al., “An active bifunctional natural dye for stable all-solid-state organic batteries,” Nat Commun, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 8364, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62301-z.
Y. Hu et al., “Solid solvation structure design improves all-solid-state organic batteries,” Nat. Chem., vol. 17, no. 9, pp. 1313–1322, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41557-025-01866-0.
Y. Xiang et al., “Nanoscale insight into the interaction mechanism underlying the transport of microplastics by bubbles in aqueous environment,” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, vol. 683, pp. 347–356, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.12.186.
Y. Xiang et al., “Nanoscale interaction mechanism between bubbles and microplastics under the influence of natural organic matter in simulated marine environment,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 487, p. 137281, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137281.
R. Zhou, Y. Ren, C. Jiang, and Q. Lu, “Wastewater as a resource for carbon capture: A comprehensive overview and perspective,” Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 377, p. 124608, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124608.
M. Ebrahimian Mashhadi, Md. M. Hassan, R. Yang, and Q. Lu, “All‐in‐One Hybrid Solar‐Driven Interfacial Evaporators for Cogeneration of Clean Water and Electricity,” Adv Funct Materials, vol. 35, no. 2, p. 2412870, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1002/adfm.202412870.
A. Varamesh et al., “Fully biobased thermal insulating aerogels with superior fire-retardant and mechanical properties,” Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 495, p. 153587, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.153587.
Md. M. Hassan, X.-Y. Wang, A. A. Bristi, R. Yang, X. Li, and Q. Lu, “Composite scaffold of electrospun nano-porous cellulose acetate membrane casted with chitosan for flexible solid-state sodium-ion batteries,” Nano Energy, vol. 128, p. 109971, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2024.109971.
R. Yang et al., “Highly Dispersed Ni Atoms and O3 Promote Room-Temperature Catalytic Oxidation,” ACS Nano, vol. 18, no. 21, pp. 13568–13582, May 2024, doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c12946.
R. Yang et al., “Intercalation in 2D materials and in situ studies,” Nat Rev Chem, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 410–432, May 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41570-024-00605-2.
Accepted publications in national and international conferences:
Md. M. Hassan, B. Conners, M. Ebrahimian Mashhadi, J. Hu, X. Li, and Q. Lu, “Electrospinning and Solution-Casting Assisted Aligned Nanocomposite Solid Electrolyte Based on Cellulose Acetate and Chitosan Biopolymers for Sodium-Ion Batteries,” in ECS Meeting Abstracts, Jul. 2025, pp. 2947–2947. doi: 10.1149/MA2025-01622947mtgabs.
B. Conners, Md. M. Hassan, J. Hu, X. Li, and Q. Lu, “Electrospun Solid-State Electrolyte from Cellulose Acetate and Bentonite Clay for Sodium-Ion Batteries,” in ECS Meeting Abstracts, Jul. 2025, pp. 2941–2941. doi: 10.1149/MA2025-01622941mtgabs.
A. Nizami, “Theoretical Insights into Polymer Interface Coatings for Lithium-Sulfur Battery Cathodes,” presented at the 247th ECS Meeting, May 2025.
Z. Yang, “Unravelling the Impact of Carbon Hosts on Chemistry and Microstructure Evolution in Sulfur Cathodes and Interface Design for High-Performance Solid-Sate Li-S Batteries,” presented at the 247th ECS Meeting, May 2025.
Z. Yang, “Theoretical Insights into Polymer Interface Coatings for Lithium-Sulfur Battery Cathodes,” presented at the 2025 QCAM Meeting, May 2025.
Q. Lu, “Nanostructured Biopolymer-Based Electrolyte Membrane for Solid-State Lithium-Ion and Sodium-Ion Battery,” presented at the The Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting, Apr. 2025.
Q. Lu, “Cellulose Biopolymer-based Flexible Nanofibrous Composite Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Next Generation Sodium-ion Batteries,” presented at the Volt-Age Annual Conference 2025, Mar. 2025.
Md. M. Hassan, B. Conners, M. Ebrahimian Mashhadi, and Q. Lu, “Aligned Nano-Porous Electrospun Composite Electrolyte Based on Cellulose Acetate Casted with Chitosan for Flexible and Wearable Solid-State Sodium-Ion Batteries,” in ECS Meeting Abstracts, Nov. 2024, pp. 4427–4427. doi: 10.1149/MA2024-02674427mtgabs.
Q. Lu, “Electrospun Solid-State Electrolyte from Cellulose Acetate and Bentonite Clay: A Flexible Solution for Sodium-Ion Batteries in Wearable Electronics,” presented at the 15th International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications (ABAA-15), Oct. 2024.
Q. Lu, “Cellulose Acetate and Chitosan Biomass-based Dual Ion-transfer Pathway Containing Nanoporous Flexible Electrospun Composite Electrolyte Membrane for Solid-state Sodium-ion Batteries,” presented at the 15th International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications (ABAA-15), Oct. 2024.
Md. M. Hassan and Q. Lu, “Electrospun Nano-Porous Cellulose Acetate Membrane Casted with Chitosan for Solid-State Sodium-Ion Batteries,” in ECS Meeting Abstracts, Aug. 2024, pp. 718–718. doi: 10.1149/MA2024-015718mtgabs.
Q. Lu, “Nanoporous Aligned Electrospun Composite Electrolyte Membrane Based on Cellulose Acetate Casted with Chitosan for Na-ion Batteries,” presented at the Volt-Age Annual Conference 2025.
Qingye (Gemma Lu): Schulich Research Excellence Award, University of Calgary, February 20, 2025.
Xia Li: College Member of Royal Society of Canada, Royal Society of Canada, September 30, 2024.
Xia Li: Concordia Research Impact Award, Concordia University, September 30, 2024.
Research focus
Development of cellulose-based electrospun nanofibrous composite solid polymer electrolytes (nc-spe)
This theme involves creating advanced NC-SPEs for solid-state sodium ion batteries (ss-SIBs) by utilizing cellulose biopolymers and derivatives. It encompasses the fabrication and testing of five key types of NC-SPEs, including aligned, cross-linked, nano-porous, transition metal-coordinated and polymer binder-assisted NC-SPEs.
Impact of nanoarchitecture on sodium ionic conductivity, mechanical property and electrochemical stability
This phase focuses on investigating the impact of the nanoarchitecture of NC-SPEs on improving sodium ionic conductivity, mechanical properties, and initial electrochemical stability with sodium metal anode. It involves comprehensive material characterization studies using various analytical techniques.
Application and performance enhancement of nc-spes
This step aims to explore the application of the developed NC-SPEs in flexible ss-SIBs and enhance their performance. It includes demonstrating the compatibility and stability of each cellulose-based NC-SPE as a solid separator within the sodium metal anode and nanostructured cathode materials in coin cell setup, exploring alternative design concepts and investigating overall battery performance.
Fabrication and testing of prototype flexible ss-sibs
This step involves the fabrication of prototype flexible ss-SIBs using promising compositions of cathode and electrolyte materials, along with the sodium metal anode. It focuses on testing batteries with diverse designs at varying current densities to enhance high-capacity retention over numerous cycles.
Summarization of extensive battery testing for commercialization
The final step of this project involves summarizing the extensive battery testing of several coin-cell and flexible cell configurations. This goal is pivotal for collaborating with commercial battery companies to conduct a cost analysis of materials, tSme, and methodologies used, aiming at establishing a high-performing, economical and sustainable ss-SIB for commercialization.
Non-academic partners
Thank you to our non-academic partners for your support and trust.
Volt-Age is funded by a $123-million grant from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
