2023 Charles Hatchett Award winners announced

For the best paper on the science and technology of Niobium-based materials, the 2023 Charles Hatchett winners are Xinye Zhao, Yaosen Tian, Zhengyan Lun, Zijian Cai, Tina Chen, Bin Ouyang, and Gerbrand Ceder for their paper:

'Design principles for zero-strain Li-ion cathodes'
Joule 6, 1654–1671, July 20, 2022 1655

Rechargeable batteries, based on lithium-ion chemistry, have become almost ubiquitous across a broad range of applications including medical devices, wearable technologies, electric vehicles and energy storage. A new generation of lithium-ion batteries are now under development with the potential for higher energy density, better safety performance and rapid charging cycles. Known as ‘solid state’ batteries the electrode materials and the electrolytes are both solids based on ceramics or solid polymers and they have the potential to address safety concerns, (such as thermal runaway) whilst also enhancing performance through faster charging, longer cycle life and higher voltage. However, fundamental problems remain. One of the most significant is the large volume change that occurs during charging and discharging which can lead to chemical and mechanical degradation of the cathode material

The winning paper of the 2023 Charles Hatchett Award demonstrates how Niobium can contribute to the potential development of better performing cathode-materials in next-generation lithium-ion batteries by offering design principles for zero-strain cathodes that eliminate this problem. Combining theory and experiment, the authors established chemical composition, ionic ordering, and metal coordination as three major factors that influence the volume change in cathode structures. Once established, these factors are used to synthesise cathode compositions that undergo quasi-zero volume change on cycling.

The search for the Charles Hatchett Award winner is wide ranging and covers Niobium alloys, oxides and other compounds and their applications in oil and gas, aerospace, automotive, construction, biomedical, electronics, energy generation and storage and chemical applications including catalysts and glass products. Each has the potential for global impact and competition for the award is strong with hundreds of papers being reviewed in the process.

The selection process of the Charles Hatchett Award is concerned with technical excellence and originality, but also takes account of the social, economic and environmental advantages of any proposed application of Niobium. The paper was praised by the international panel of judges for its potential to make a significant technological impact on other important industrial sectors such as secondary batteries and aerospace industries. The panel also felt that the paper was an exemplar of high-calibre research published in a quality journal.

The annual Award, now in its 45th year, is sponsored by CBMM with administrative support from Beta Technology. The lead author, Gerbrand Ceder, University of California, Berkeley was presented with the Charles Hatchett medal at the Institute of Materials, Mineral and Minion (IOM3) 2023 Premier Awards Dinner, which was held in London on 7th December 2023.