ICTM/Research/Abbas Group

Abbas Group . Supercapacitors . Fast Energy Storage (Coupling of Battery & EDL Electrodes)

ICTM, TU Graz

Materials.

Nanoporous carbons: Our group uses high surface area carbons (1500-2500 m2/g) as electrodes which possess majority of pores in the range of 1 nm making them ideal for charge storage. The electronic conductivity of these carbons is fairly high which assists in cycling at very high rates (time constant, τ < 1s). The surface functional groups on carbon electrodes generated during long-term charge/discharge cause performance decay. We implement various strategies from porosity tuning to pretreatment of electrodes in order to maintain their physicochemical and electrochemical stability.

Eco-friendly electrolytes: Up to 35 wt.% of a supercapacitor consists of electrolyte. We use environmentally friendly and green electrolytes from diluted aqueous electrolytes to water-in-salt electrolytes as well as deep eutectic solutions, all from low-cost chemicals. The selection rule for electrolyte is high ionic conductivity, low viscosity and excellent dielectric properties.

ICTM, TU Graz

Systems.

Hybrid supercapacitors: Hybrid supercapacitors are used where high power is required, such as uninterruptible power supply (UPS), automotive hybridizations and backup applications. In hybrid supercapacitors, one electrode is made to performance like a battery while keeping the other electrode as  electric double-layer (EDL) charge storage. This helps to enhance the energy density. Our group takes advantage of highly reversible iodine electrochemistry to in situ generate a battery electrode from nanoporous carbon materials. The high surface area and narrow pore size distribution helps to store large quantities of iodine in the nanopores making it a high capacity electrode, and overall high energy density hybrid SCs.   

Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs): In an EDLC, both positive and negative electrodes store charges at the EDL. Since the charge storage is physical, the output power in EDLCs is quite high in the range 5-10 kW/kg. We use highly stable ionic liquids as electrolytes to produce EDLCs and test their life cycle under harsh climatic conditions (+60°C to -40°C).  

ICTM, TU Graz

Technology.

Prototypes: To produce pouch cells, the carbon material in homogenous slurry form is applied to the current collector (Al or stainless steel) foil. The electrode is calendared after preliminary drying and then moisture is removed by extensive drying at 100°C for several hours. The coated electrodes are coupled together to produce pouch cells in the size of 10 x 10 cm2. Our work stations can test both single and stacked pouch cells up to a current range of 10 A.


Group Members (Past, Present & Incoming)

Dr. Saman Khosravi (post doc. 2020-2021, now at TU Dresden)

Dr. Vladimir Pavlenko (post doc. 2021, now at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)

Dr. Zhazira Supiyeva (post doc. 2023)

Mag. Horst Schranger (Master thesis 2020-2021)

MSc. Dilara Köroglu (Intern. 2023)

MSc. Lucyana Dwi Larasati (ERASMUS+ Intern. 2023)

 

Methods:

Electrochemical (EIS, CV, GCPL and more)

In situ Raman spectroscopy

SEM, TEM

EQCM

Gas adsorption/desorption

XPS

Optical video microscopy

About Qamar Abbas…

Dr. Qamar Abbas received his master in science (M.Sc. Applied Chemistry) from the University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan in 2002-2005. He started his PhD studies in 2008 “corrosion science and electrochemistry” under a fully funded scholarship in the group of Prof. Leo Binder and defended his doctoral thesis in 2011 at the institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, Austria. Qamar Abbas worked with Prof. François Béguin in an EU funded Welcome Project from 2011-2015 at the Institute of Chemistry and Technical Electrochemistry (ICTE), Poznan University of Technology, Poland, where he is full time faculty member since 2016.

Dr. Abbas received his venia docendi (p. doktor habilitowany, dr. hab. ) in Chemical Technology in 2019. He is currently working at the Institute for Chemistry and Technology of Materials (ICTM), Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria, where he leads a few projects. His areas of research are hybrid supercapacitors, electric double-layer capacitors, battery electrodes, iodine electrochemistry, pseudocapacitive materials, nanoporous materials, carbon materials, and eco-friendly electrolytes for energy storage.

Qamar Abbas has published over 40 peer reviewed articles and review papers.

Last updated: 14.02.2023

Contact
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Dr. techn. habil. Qamar Abbas
Institute for Chemistry and Technology of Materials
Stremayrgasse 9
A-8010 Graz
Phone: +43 (0)316 873-32357
qamar.abbasnoSpam@tugraz.at

Publications
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Projects:

FWF funded List-Meitner Fellowship 2019-2021

EPU ERA-NET 2020-2021 

FFG funded ECOCAPS 2021-2025