Zhongwei Chen, Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials for Clean Energy and Chemical Engineering Professor and Linda Nazar, Canada Research Chair in Solid State Energy Materials and Chemistry Professor, received more than $2 million in infrastructure funding from the federal government’s Canada Foundation for Innovation for the proposed Ontario Centre for Battery and Electrochemical Research.
Professors Chen and Nazar are leading collaborative, interdisciplinary research to develop energy storage technologies that will support the transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable alternatives. Nanotechnology is significantly involved in this work, as researchers use the unique characteristics and capabilities of nanoparticles to create smaller, longer-lasting and faster-charging batteries and supercapacitors.
The Ontario-based centre will act as a hub for Canada’s electrochemical energy storage research and development, facilitating collaboration among researchers, industry and government agencies working to create cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly energy technologies.
Their research will directly impact the design and functionality of products and services that we rely on every day, such as smart phones, healthcare equipment, electric and fuel-cell vehicles, portable and stationary backup power supplies, and smart grid systems.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation awarded more than $518 million to 102 projects at post-secondary and research hospitals across the country, including six at University of Waterloo.
Read more about these projects:
Water Institute members awarded over $7 million in funding