For two of the awardees at the University of Wollongong’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, recognition came not just for hard work but also with the knowledge they are working to improve energy storage.
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And as Professor Hua Liu from the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM) was awarded a Doctor of Science – one of UOW’s prestigious and rarely appointed honours – she also enjoyed the satisfaction of watching one of her most recent PhD students, Ranjusha Rajagopalan, cross the stage at the same ceremony.
Her research has been focused on clean energy materials, materials science and engineering, and electrochemistry and applications.
Dr Rajagopalan said her PhD research had started with both sodium ion and lithium ion batteries, in a bid to improve their power and stability performance.
With lithium in shorter supply than sodium (which is everywhere), she focused on developing sodium batteries, using a structure called NASICON, a super ionic conductor.
The researchers succeeded in developing a 1.5kg sodium ion phosphate structure; the task now is to scale it up for more powerful versions.
“We were aiming for the future,” she said.
“Now we are planning to prepare more.”
Now 75, Professor Liu has been working at UoW for 23 years, continuing an impressive academic career that began as a student in chemistry at Jilin University in Changchun, China.
She said her endurance and vitality was not due to herself alone.
“I have a very supportive husband and a very good family,” Professor Liu said.