Dr Xuekun Lu, Senior Lecturer in Green Energy at Queen Mary’s School of Engineering and Materials Science, has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant to advance his research in battery technology.

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.

Read more about his research extending battery life for electric vehicles.

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, delivering innovations that could transform the future of energy storage and transport electrification.”