Organic Energy Materials 

A scientist with hear net is peking trough science equipment and smoke
Thor Balkhed

We exploit and investigate the physics and chemistry of novel organic and composite materials to design and fabricate the next generation of energy devices.

Principal investigator: Reverant Crispin
Co-investigators: Isak Engquist, Viktor Gueskine, Zia Ullah Kahn 
 
In Organic Energy Materials we design organic materials with a specific function for energy transport, conversion or storage. One key advantage of organic materials is that they are composed of atomic elements of high natural abundancy; which is highly relevant for mass implementation of energy technology. Energy devices can be separated into conversion and storage devices. Both types can be designed to operate as solid state or electrochemical devices. 

The research unit of Organic Energy Materials is composed of about 30 researchers and divided into 3 research groups: organic energy storage (OES), organic energy harvesters (OEH) and organic electrochemical device (OED). 

Our research spams from fundamental research on materials (e.g. organic electroactive polymers, forest materials, organic dyes, liquid organic hydrogen carriers) to their implementation in energy devices (e.g. organic batteries, organic redox flow batteries, organic electrolyser, organic thermoelectrics, piezoelectrics).

The use of 2D-materials and forest materials are combined in new nanocomposites for electrocatalysis, electrical conductor or thermal management. Some of our activities are also devoted to the fabrication of materials and devices with additive manufacturing methods.

Finally, we promote the Swedish spirit of entrepreneurship (Gnosjöandan) to support start up companies from birth until they take off.

Research groups

Publications from Organic Energy Materials

2024

Sanna Lander, Jiu Pang, Johan Erlandsson, Mikhail Vagin, Mohammad Javad Jafari, Leena Korhonen, Hongli Yang, Tobias Abrahamsson, Penghui Ding, Viktor Gueskine, Alexandar Mehandzhiyski, Thomas Ederth, Igor Zozoulenko, Lars Wågberg, Reverant Crispin, Magnus Berggren (2024) Controlling the rate of posolyte degradation in all-quinone aqueous organic redox flow batteries by sulfonated nanocellulose based membranes: The role of crossover and Michael addition Journal of Energy Storage, Vol. 83, Article 110338 Continue to DOI
Ayesha Sultana, Md Mehebub Alam, Xavier Crispin, Dan Zhao (2024) The enhanced ionic thermal potential by a polarized electrospun membrane Chemical Communications Continue to DOI
Chaoyang Kuang, Shangzhi Chen, Min Luo, Qilun Zhang, Xiao Sun, Shaobo Han, Qingqing Wang, Vallery Stanishev, Vanya Darakchieva, Reverant Crispin, Mats Fahlman, Dan Zhao, Qiye Wen, Magnus Jonsson (2024) Switchable Broadband Terahertz Absorbers Based on Conducting Polymer-Cellulose Aerogels Advanced Science, Vol. 11, Article 2305898 Continue to DOI

2023

Mehebub Alam, Xavier Crispin (2023) The past, present, and future of piezoelectric fluoropolymers: Towards efficient and robust wearable nanogenerators Nano Research Energy, Vol. 2, Article e9120076 Continue to DOI
Viktor Gueskine, Mikhail Vagin, Magnus Berggren, Xavier Crispin, Igor Zozoulenko (2023) Oxygen reduction reaction at conducting polymer electrodes in a wider context: Insights from modelling concerning outer and inner sphere mechanisms ELECTROCHEMICAL SCIENCE ADVANCES, Vol. 3, Article e2100191 Continue to DOI
Divyaratan Kumar, Ujwala Ail, Zhixing Wu, Emma Björk, Magnus Berggren, Viktor Gueskine, Xavier Crispin, Ziyauddin Khan (2023) Zinc salt in "Water-in-Polymer Salt Electrolyte" for Zinc-Lignin Batteries: Electroactivity of the Lignin Cathode ADVANCED SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS, Vol. 7, Article 2200433 Continue to DOI
Naveed Ul Hassan Alvi, Neha Sepat, Samim Sardar, Magnus Berggren, Isak Engquist, Xavier Crispin (2023) Toward Photoactive Wallpapers Based on ZnO-Cellulose Nanocomposites Global Challenges, Vol. 7, Article 2300034 Continue to DOI
Ayesha Sultana, Md Mehebub Alam, Eleni Pavlopoulou, Eduardo Solano, Magnus Berggren, Xavier Crispin, Dan Zhao (2023) Toward High-Performance Green Piezoelectric Generators Based on Electrochemically Poled Nanocellulose Chemistry of Materials, Vol. 35, p. 1568-1578 Continue to DOI
Ujwala Ail, Jakob Nilsson, Mattias Jansson, Irina A Buyanova, Zhixing Wu, Emma Björk, Magnus Berggren, Xavier Crispin (2023) Optimization of Non-Pyrolyzed Lignin Electrodes for Sustainable Batteries ADVANCED SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS, Vol. 7, Article 2200396 Continue to DOI
Arman Molaei, Ahmed Ahmed, Ujwala Ail, Xavier Crispin (2023) New low-cost, flow-through carbon electrodes characterized in brackish water Chemické zvesti, Vol. 77, p. 1941-1950 Continue to DOI

Researchers in Organic Energy Materials

News about Organic Energy Materials

Professor Xavier Crispin and research engineers Ujwala Ail and Ziyauddin Khan, at the crimper that manufactures coin cell batteries, in the Laboratory of Organic Electronics.

Prize-winning technology for large-scale energy storage

Safe, cheap and sustainable technology for energy storage has been developed at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics. It is based on two major breakthroughs: the manufacture of wood-based electrodes in rolled form, and a new water-based electrolyte.

Mikhail Vagin and Penghui Ding working in the laboratory.

LiU researchers first to develop an organic battery

Researchers at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics have for the first time demonstrated an organic battery. It is of a type known as a “redox flow battery” that can be used to store energy from solar cells, and as a power bank for cars.

The heat from the sun vaporises the water, while salt and other materials remain behind.

A cheap organic steam generator to purify water

A high-efficiency steam generator for the purification and desalination of water can be built using cheap and natural materials such as cellulose. The steam generator has been developed at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, LiU.

Education, collaboration, innovation

Education

The Organic Energy Material group is involved in the education of phd students and contributes to several high-level courses (scientific instrumentation, organic electronics, electrochemistry). 

Collaboration

Our researchers can interact with other scientists through our the 3 centers involving LOE: The Advanced Functional Center, the Wood Wallenberg Science Center; and the Digital Cellulose Center and the EU network HORATES.

Innovation

We also promote innovation by supporting start-up companies (Ligna Energy AB,  PARSNORD and CELLIFON) and establishing long term collaborations with key industrial partners (RedoxmeIMRA-EuropeBillerud).

Join us!

Organisation