Dr Xuekun Lu, Senior Lecturer in Green Energy at Queen Mary, has been awarded a prestigious £1.6million European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant to advance his research in improving electric vehicle battery life.

Dr Lu’s project, TWIN-SiNERGY, aims to create a new, single-piece silicon solid-state battery that can store more energy, last longer, and work better, without needing external pressure.

To make this possible, the project uses a materials development approach, guided by evidence. It combines real-time imaging at many scales with advanced 3D computer models and data tools, linking physical experiments with a “digital twin” to help understand and improve the battery.

This funding will allow Dr Lu to build on his previous research into extending battery life in electric vehicles, recently published in Nature Nanotechnology.

Dr Lu said: “I am thrilled to receive this ERC Consolidator Grant, which provides me with a major platform to drive battery science and technologies into its next chapter, leveraging my academic strengths, and delivering innovations that could transform the future of energy storage and transport electrification.”