UofM Researchers Awarded NSF Grant to Advance Energy Storage Materials

Drs. Pollard and Mishra's project to advance supercapacitor technology and train the next generation of energy scientists

The growing demand for energy—from consumer electronics and electric vehicles to the chips powering the AI boom—continues to strain existing infrastructure. To meet this challenge, researchers are exploring new energy storage technologies such as supercapacitors, which offer rapid charge and discharge cycles and potentially longer lifespans than traditional batteries.

One promising material for next-generation supercapacitors is a class of atomically thin, two-dimensional materials called transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). These materials support fast charging, long lifespans, and can be produced using conventional semiconductor growth methods. However, their performance has varied widely, depending on subtle factors like synthesis techniques, atomic defects, and even the number of atomic layers—variations as small as a single atom in thickness can change their electrical properties.

To better understand these discrepancies, Drs. Shawn Pollard and Sanjay Mishra of the University of Memphis have received a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems. Their project will investigate how material thickness, growth conditions, and defects influence quantum capacitance, a property central to how efficiently TMD-based supercapacitors can store energy.

In addition to advancing the science of energy materials, the project includes an educational component designed to recruit and train future scientists for critical roles in the U.S. energy industry. By combining innovative research with hands-on education, this NSF award positions the University of Memphis at the forefront of advanced energy storage research.

For more information, contact Pollard at sdpllrd1@memphis.edu, or Mishra at srmishra@memphis.edu.