Naiqi Meng - Phd student (2022- present)
Naiqi Meng started his PhD research in October 2022 under the supervision of Dr Qilei Song. Naiqi completed his BEng degree in Polymer Materials Science, from a 3+1 joint program of Beijing Technology and Business University (Beijing) and University College Dublin (Ireland) in June 2020. Naiqi completed his MSc in Advanced Materials Science at University College London (London) and received Distinction. After that, Naiqi worked as a research assistant at Fudan University (Shanghai) for a period, with a focus on polymer materials and energy storage. His PhD project will focus on the design and synthesis of anion exchange membranes for electrochemical energy conversion and storage.
Email: n.meng22@imperial.ac.uk
Description of Research
Zero-carbon hydrogen production plays an important role in supporting the global transition to net zero by 2050. Future development of GW-scale green hydrogen production requires substantial cost reduction of electrolysis technology. Existing proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers have technical drawbacks and are limited by the expensive Nafion membranes and electrocatalysts. Anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis is one of the most promising electrolysis technologies. However, fundamental research is required to advance AEM technology, particularly development of AEM membranes with high hydroxide conductivity and chemical stability. Existing AEM materials suffer from poor stability with polymer backbone and organic cations quickly degrade during device operation. New materials chemistry is required to mitigate this stability challenge and to prepare highly conductive membranes.
Naiqi's PhD project will mainly focus on the development of novel ether-free anion exchange membranes with rigid backbone and pendant chains to achieve high hydroxide conductivity and stability. The molecular design is accelerated by computational modelling and simulation in collaboration with Prof Kim Jelfs. The new anion exchange membranes will be integrated with non-PGM electrocatalysts developed by Prof Anthony Kucernak's group, and fabricated into membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). The composition of MEA will be optimised including the dispersion and loading of ionomers and catalysts in the electrodes. The project will explore the upscaling of the newly developed AEM membranes and their integration in stack.
Publications
Microporous Poly(aryl piperidinium)-based anion exchange membranes for high-performance water electrolyzers. In preparation for publication.
Anqi Wang*, Charlotte Breakwell, Fabrizia Foglia, Rui Tan, Louie Lovell, Xiaochu Wei, Toby Wong, Naiqi Meng, Haodong Li, Andrew Seel, Mona Sarter, Keenan Smith, Alberto Alvarez Fernandez, Mate Furedi, Stefan Guldin, Melanie Britton, Neil McKeown, Kim Jelfs, Qilei Song*. Selective ion transport through hydrated micropores in polymer membranes. Nature, 635, 353–358 (2024).
Patent
Co-Inventor for Next-generation ion exchange membranes for energy applications. https://imperial.tech/our-technologies/ionmembrane-technologies-next-generation-ion-exchange-membranes-for-energy-applications/
Conference presentations
N. Meng, A. Wang, A. Kucernak, Q. Song. Poly(aryl piperidinium)-based anion exchange membranes for high-performance water electrolyzers. EuroMembrane 2024.