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 new organic and composite materials to improve electronic and electrochemical energy devices.

One key advantage of organics is that they are composed of atomic elements of high natural abundancy; which is highly relevant for mass implementation of energy devices. Energy devices can be separated into conversion and storage devices. Here are our favorite research topics:

(i) We functionalize forest-based materials, such as cellulose and lignin and implement them into solid state or redox flow batteries.

(ii) We study the conversion of heat into electricity through several effects: Seebeck effect of electronic charge carriers, Soret effect of ions and thermogalvanic effect of redox molecules. We also investigate the reverse effect for cooling applications.

(iii) We explore the conversion of electricity into chemical energy for H2 and H2O2 production, as well as H2-storage in liquid hydrogen organic carriers.

(iv) Finally, we study the conversion of mechanical energy into electricity and vice versa by piezoelectric organic polymers and nanocelluloses.

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). 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.

We also promote Innovation by supporting start-up companies (Ligna Energy AB, PARSNORD and CELLIFON) and establishing long term collaborations with key industrial partners (Redoxme, IMRA-Europe, Billerudkornäs).

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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.

Xavier Crispin, Canyan Che and Mikhail Vagin

Lignin – a supergreen fuel for fuel cells

Researchers from the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at LiU have developed a fuel cell that uses lignin, a cheap by-product from paper manufacture and one of the most common biopolymers.

The world's first heat-driven transistor

Dan Zhao and Simone Fabiano at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics have created a thermoelectric organic transistor. A temperature rise of a single degree is sufficient to cause a detectable current modulation in the transistor.