UniSQ wins A$1.3M ARC Future Fellowship to build self-healing graphene sodium-ion electrodes

# What the grant is for Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), led by Professor Ashok Kumar Nanjundan, received A$1.3 million (about US$923,000) through the Australian Research Council's Future Fellowship scheme. The award supports development of self-healing sodium-ion battery electrodes that combine defect-rich graphene with dynamic polymer networks to repair mechanical damage during operation.

# Why this matters Rechargeable batteries degrade over repeated charge/discharge cycles because mechanical stress produces microscopic cracks, loss of electrical contact, and electrode deterioration. That damage becomes worse as electrodes are made thicker to increase energy density. If electrodes could repair damage as it occurs, batteries could retain performance longer and reduce material waste.

# Technical approach The project brings together two materials strategies:

• Defect-rich graphene: engineered to provide highly conductive electron pathways and to allow control over interfaces within the electrode.
• Dynamic polymer networks: designed to reconnect damaged regions and restore contact as cracks and other defects form during cycling.

The design aims for electrodes that actively reconnect damaged regions rather than allowing damage to accumulate over hundreds of cycles.

# Target chemistry and manufacturing link The research focuses on sodium-ion batteries, an emerging alternative to lithium-ion for applications where cost, lifetime, sustainability, and supply-chain resilience are priorities, such as stationary energy storage. Professor Nanjundan noted the concepts could also be applied to lithium-ion battery electrodes.

Researchers will also investigate thick, solvent-free electrodes to connect the materials research with the manufacturing challenges of scaling advanced batteries. This indicates the project intends to consider both performance and practical production constraints rather than solely lab-scale demonstrations.

# What the lead researcher said

# Expected outcomes and scope The immediate goal is to design electrode materials and structures that reconnect damaged regions and restore electrical contact during cycling. The project includes examination of manufacturing-relevant designs (thick, solvent-free electrodes), linking fundamental materials engineering to questions of scalability. The chemistry focus is sodium-ion, with potential relevance to lithium-ion systems.

# Where this sits in the field The work addresses a core failure mode for rechargeable batteries—mechanical damage and contact loss inside electrodes—using a materials-driven solution that integrates conductive graphene architectures with polymers that can dynamically reform bonds. The emphasis on thick, solvent-free electrodes signals attention to higher energy loading and industrial processing routes.

# Short practical takeaway If the approach works, it could reduce capacity fade linked to mechanical degradation and support longer-lived, lower-waste battery systems for stationary storage. The project explicitly ties materials design to manufacturing considerations, targeting deliverables that could inform scaled production choices.