Concordian receives the Relève étoile Louis-Berlinguet Award for his research on next-generation batteries

Jalal Rahmatinejad, a Concordia doctoral student in chemical engineering, has won the September 2023 FRQ Relève étoile Louis-Berlinguet Award.

His research interests in the fields of chemical engineering and materials science mainly revolve around innovative materials and processes for energy storage with a focus on batteries and supercapacitors.

Rahmatinejad earned the honour from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) for his recent publication in the Journal of Energy Chemistry, “Embedding amorphous MoSx within hierarchical porous carbon by facile one-pot synthesis for superior sodium ion storage.” The article explores how to create better materials for the next generation of batteries — specifically, sodium-ion batteries.

“These batteries have the potential to not only be more environmentally friendly but also potentially cheaper and more accessible compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries,” Rahmatinejad says.

“We’ve discovered a way to make a unique material that can store a lot of energy efficiently, addressing some of the key challenges in making sodium-ion batteries.”

Rahmatinejad and his colleagues conducted their research under the guidance of his supervisor, Zhibin Ye, professor of chemical and materials engineering. The results are notable because this new material will pave the way for more affordable and sustainable energy storage solutions.

These solutions will help meet the increasing demand for more efficient and durable electrical energy storage devices that has emerged with the development of new technologies.

“I chose to focus on this topic because I believe it’s crucial for our future,” says Rahmatinejad.

 “As we rely more on clean energy sources, we need better batteries to store that energy efficiently. This research has the potential to improve battery technology, making it cheaper and more accessible, which can benefit both my field and the wider community by advancing sustainable energy storage.”

This sodium-ion battery solution will act as a necessary low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries rely on limited lithium resources and have a low recycling rate.

By contrast, sodium is one of the most abundant and evenly distributed elements in the Earth’s crust.

“The research and writing process for this publication was a dedicated effort that spanned several months of synthesizing and characterizing materials, conducting experiments, analyzing data and writing the paper,” Rahmatinejad says.

“Professor Ye’s mentorship was invaluable, and the collaborative nature of our work allowed me to gain insights and skills from a network of collaborators that have been instrumental in my academic and research development.”

The FRQ recognized the researchers for their significant achievement and the importance of their work in advancing energy storage technology. This prize follows the paper’s previous accolade, the 2022 Concordia Stand-Out Graduate Research Award.

“Looking ahead, I’m enthusiastic about our ongoing efforts to explore new materials for futuristic electrical energy storage systems,” Rahmatinejad adds.

“We will continue to actively research and develop innovative solutions in this domain with a strong commitment to staying at the forefront of scientific discovery.”

Find out more about Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.