Yeungnam University team opens path to high-performance energy storage materials

A research team at Yeungnam University has proposed a new design principle for boosting the performance of ferroelectric materials, which can be used in electronic devices and next-generation energy storage systems.

According to Yeungnam University on Wednesday, a research team led by Professor Ryu Jung-ho of the School of Materials Science and Engineering succeeded in artificially reproducing the superior properties found in ferroelectric materials of specific compositions. The team achieved this by using nanometer-scale microstructures.

Ferroelectrics are smart materials well-suited to storing electricity, converting electrical signals into motion, and conversely turning pressure or vibration into electrical signals.

After publishing a series of papers in internationally renowned academic journals, Ryu's team advanced the design principle through follow-up research into the actual development of energy storage materials.

"This research is significant in that it demonstrated that the superior performance of ferroelectrics can be artificially realized through nanostructures, while also linking this to high-performance energy storage devices," Ryu said. "We expect it to be applied to high-power capacitors, power electronics components, sensors, actuators and energy harvesting devices going forward."

Meanwhile, the National Research Foundation of Korea's mid-career researcher support project and its nano and future materials source technology development project funded the research. Ryu's lab at Yeungnam University and Professor Jeong Dae-yong's lab at Inha University led the work, with international collaboration from research teams at Pennsylvania State University, Michigan Technological University and the University of Science and Technology Beijing.