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I am a PhD student in the chemical engineering programme at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, in the division of applied electrochemistry, with Rakel Wreland Lindström and Göran Lindbergh as supervisors. The N5T collaborating university is Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, with Ann Mari Svensson as supervisor. I am from Norway, and I got my master’s degree in nanotechnology at NTNU.  My master’s thesis focused on algae-derived SiOx anodes for lithium-ion batteries. During the master’s programme I also did a one-year internship at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. 

My PhD project is focusing on anode materials for sodium-ion batteries and their interface with the electrolyte. Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, as sodium is a much more abundant element than lithium. The anode material is normally hard carbon, which can be made from biomass, and at lower temperatures than graphite, which is the material in use in lithium-ion batteries. However, hard carbon is less stable, showing more irreversible capacity loss, and less compatibility with the electrolyte. A large part of these challenges can be understood by understanding the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte, called the solid electrolyte interphase. In addition, to make the sodium-ion battery more competitive, introducing materials capable of storing more sodium, such as silicon or phosphorus, will be studied.