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In December, she defended her thesis "Search, Synthesis, and Investigation of New Framework Electrode Materials for Aqueous Na-ion Batteries" (academic supervisor: Dr. Linas Vilčiauskas, academic advisor: Dr. Jurgis Pilipavičius).

 

This work was awarded in the category of "Natural, Technological, Medical and Health, and Agricultural Sciences".

 

Congratulations to our colleague, we are very proud!

 

"I am very happy that my thesis is among last year's best. It is a great proof that I am on the right scientific path and an encouragement to keep working in this field. Here is one of those very sweet fruits of science with initially bitter roots.

 

A dissertation is not a one-man job, and I am very grateful to my supervisor Dr. Linas Vilčiauskas and my advisor Dr. Jurgis Pilipavičius for their commitment and investment of time in this research. Thank you to the Electrochemical Energy Storage Group research team and the FTMC community for all the lessons, advice and support during my PhD," says the laureate.

 

This is the third time in a row that our scientists have won this honourable award. In 2022, the best dissertation was awarded to Dr. Lina Grinevičiūtė, a laser scientist, and in 2023, the winner was a chemist Dr. Agnė Zdaniauskienė.

 

 

 

 

As a reminder, this year's winner, Dr Gintarė Gečė, is studying electrochemical sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries and looking for solutions to improve their performance. According to the researcher, the growing demand for electricity is driving the search for new and efficient ways of storing renewable energy. Electrochemical batteries are currently considered to be one of the most attractive technologies, with their high energy efficiency, low environmental impact, easy dimensioning and, most importantly, wide power and energy range.

 

"Lithium-ion batteries are currently the most widely used, but the high and rising cost of lithium, as well as the use of highly flammable organic electrolytes, is driving the search for new and more sustainable alternatives for energy storage.

 

Sodium-ion batteries, especially those using aqueous electrolytes, are attracting increasing interest as stationary energy storage systems - as they are much safer, non-flammable, more environmentally friendly, easier to dispose of and recycle, and, of course, cheaper than lithium-ion batteries due to the more widespread availability of sodium resources," says the chemist.

 

 

 

But there are still problems to be solved. For example, the high mass of sodium makes these batteries extremely limited in their applicability to portable devices or electric vehicles. Sodium-ion battery technology is still relatively new, and both scientists and industry face many challenges, such as energy density or electrochemical stability, says Gintarė. However, more and more companies are already starting to produce them commercially.

 

"The aim of my thesis is to find, synthesise and test new electrode materials suitable for aqueous sodium-ion batteries. The thesis describes the syntheses and optimizations of 8 different materials and investigates their purity, thermal stability, particle size and morphology. Subsequently, electrodes were prepared from the synthesised compounds and their electrochemical properties were investigated by cycling them for 100 to 1000 cycles using different aqueous electrolytes.

 

The results showed which materials are completely unsuitable for aqueous sodium-ion batteries due to their rapid capacity degradation, and which ones have a lot of potential and are quite stable even after many cycles. The results of the PhD are by no means definitive, and the research is continuing," says G. Gečė.

 

 

 

 

The Lithuanian Society of Young Researchers (LSYR) aims to encourage doctoral students to prepare high quality scientific dissertations that would be recognized not only in Lithuania but also worldwide, to encourage interinstitutional and interdisciplinary cooperation, and to increase the motivation of young Lithuanian scientists to carry out scientific activities of the highest quality and importance to society.

 

According to the LSYR press release, 100 dissertations were submitted for this year's competition: 38 in the fields of nature, technology, medicine and health, and agriculture, and 62 in the fields of humanities, social sciences, and arts. Phases I and II of the evaluation of the dissertations took place between April and November 2024. 271 experts assessed the theses. They recognized the 10 best dissertations defended in Lithuanian research and study institutions as laureates.

 

The award ceremony for the best dissertation is scheduled for 3 December. The dissertation will be presented at the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania.

 

Read the full list of laureates (in Lithuanian) on the LSYR website.