The Institute of Green Materials and Metallurgy at Jiangsu University is a full-time research institute established in May 2016 with the support of the related preponderant disciplines in materials science and engineering of Jiangsu University. The institute’s aim is to establish a "pilot concept" and build a bridge between "basic research - applied basic research - engineering research - industrialization". It will establish a "pilot platform" to achieve technological breakthroughs in the transformation of achievements in the pilot project, and strive to build a basic research, development base, and pilot incubation base, and to open up a channel for “teaching-development-pilot-industry-industry”. It also can establish an interest allocation rule sharing the intellectual properties for "basic research - pilot-technical research - enterprise or fund", in order to form a sustainable and positive interaction for the basic research, pilot development, and enterprises, and realize the industrialization of subversive innovation technologies as soon as possible, which can be set as a demonstration for the faster transformation of scientific and technological achievements of Jiangsu University to create more social and economic benefits.
Based on this, we will pool outstanding talents in light metal metallurgy and new energy fields at home and abroad, and form an international cooperative research institution to make our due contributions to the development of science and technology in schools.
The main research direction of the team:
1.Energy Storage Devices for Carrier and Integrated Wind-photoelectric-electricity System: Industrial electrochemistry is one of the key basic theories of green energy and metallurgy. Based on the electrochemical process of green aluminum metallurgy industry and directional carbon nanotube assembly technology, the team developed a high energy density supercapacitor with an energy density of 15-25 Wh/kg (similar products from MAXWELL company are only 5-10 Wh/kg), which is at the international leading level. Moreover, it has been in the industrialization stage. At the same time, the team focuses on the development of high power density aluminum fuel cells and the carbon-based materials used in air batteries, supercapacitors, aluminum secondary batteries, etc..
2.Green Aluminum Metallurgy Process Engineering: At present, the team has established an internationally authoritative low-temperature electrolyte database (has been quoted by many domestic and foreign counterparts), solved many engineering problems of green aluminum electrolysis technology, and completed 40kA grade green aluminum test, which has for the first time achieved an overall breakthrough in the “basic research-engineering” of green aluminum electrolysis technology, proving that the industrial feasibility of the concept of green aluminum electrolysis technology and our technology is at the international leading level (international peers are still in the laboratory research stage). We already have the foundation and ability to carry out large-scale industrial demonstration of 200 kA grade green aluminum electrolysis.
3.Metallurgy and Energy Materials: The replacement of consumable carbon anodes with low consumption of inert anode materials is a core issue in the green aluminum metallurgy technology. At present, the team has completed the development of inert alloy anode materials and the construction of mass production lines. The inert anode corrosion rate is ≤ 8mm /y, which is in the international leading level (Alcoa reported inert inert corrosion rate ≤ 10mm / y, other aluminum companies have not reported publicly).
Team and Platform Construction Targets:
During the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, the institute’s full-time research team is expected to reach 20 staff, more than 60% researchers with senior professional title, including 6-8 tutors for doctor. A group of well-known experts and scholars will be hired at home and abroad as part-time professors, distinguished professors, and visiting researchers. The training scale of graduate students will reach about 50 people. And we will get together to achieve the goal of building an excellent research team, a high-level scientific research platform, and develop a research direction with influential and distinctive features at home and abroad.
