Fabrication Of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Through the President's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Office, the Government of Uganda has championed the development of the domestic automotive value chain for job and wealth creation through the commercialization of electric vehicles under Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC). Other private companies, such as Uganda Zembo electric motorcycles and Bodawerk electric motorcycles, are involved in assembling and selling electric motorcycles. These companies heavily depend on imported cylindrical cells to assemble battery packs for electric automobiles.  Up to 60% of the cost of producing an electric vehicle goes to the battery pack.  The main factors to consider in battery pack production are the cost of materials used, output and life cycles, which determine capacity and longevity. Combining these factors creates a challenge, especially when sourcing the materials for producing the battery packs. We have demonstrated that biomass can be converted into activated carbon, graphene oxide (GO), graphene nanodots (GND) and graphene nanoplates (GNP), which have all been proven to be effective battery materials. The country has more minerals that need to be purified to battery-grade material. These nanomaterials have been used to assemble supercapacitors, hybrid capacitors and batteries. This project phase aims to produce lithium-ion and sodium-ion for electric vehicles in Uganda using locally available materials.

Research Areas

• Carbon-based materials for energy storage
• Fabrication and assembly of batteries and supercapacitors
• Thin films and nanomaterials for water, air, and oil applications
• Biomaterials and nanoparticles for drug delivery
• New materials characterization and applications
• DFT simulation and modelling energy storage materials
• Food safety, quality assurance, and risk assessments
• Science and Innovation projects