Athika Mattath

Postdoctoral Fellow

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Dr. Athika M is currently working at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) as a postdoctoral fellow, where her research focuses on solid polymer electrolytes for self-standing Li/Na-ion batteries and anode-less battery systems. She previously completed her first postdoctoral position at IIT Bombay, working on sodium-ion battery cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes. She earned her Ph.D. from Pondicherry Central University in 2022, where she developed advanced catalyst materials for lithium–air batteries and gained expertise in prototype device fabrication.


She holds an M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry from Mahatma Gandhi University (2014), graduating with distinction and securing the second rank, and she has qualified national examinations including CSIR-NET (JRF, 2015 & 2016) and GATE (2015). Dr. Athika has broad research experience across Li-ion, Na-ion, Zn-air batteries, and supercapacitors.


Her academic contributions include publications in reputed journals such as Journal of Energy Storage, ChemElectroChem, ACS Omega, New Journal of Chemistry, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Materials Letters, and ChemistrySelect. She has authored a book chapter with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group) and she has two Indian patents, reflecting her strong commitment to advancing energy storage and battery technologies.

Participates in

TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Technologies

Powering Mobility: The Energy Transition and the Future of Transportation
Forum 24 | Digital Poster Plaza 4
30
April
12:00 14:00
UTC+3
Li-air battery commercialization hinges on the development of a cost-effective and efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst and cycling stability. This work discussing about the role of Co nanoparticle, Pyrollytic N and Oxygen vacancy on the catalytic activity of Co/Co3O4/nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) electrocatalyst towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The performance of Co/Co3O4@NC (CCONC) as a cathode in nonaqueous Li-air battery was exhibited a high discharge capacity of 4228 mA h g-1 at a high current density of 100 mA g-1 with passable cycling stability as well as Columbic efficiency. However, the electrolyte evaporation and moisture uptake primarily hinders their practical applications.  Thus, we demonstrate the development of cost-effective hybrid systems offers an alternative approach to extending the life span of Li-air batteries by reducing the clogging effect and also help to reduce the potential safety hazard of flammable electrolytes. The hybrid Li-air battery shows the capacity retention of 89%, which is much higher than that of the non-aqueous Li-air battery (80%) even after 100 cycles. For a practical demonstration, a Li-Air pouch cell was fabricated using the CCONC electrocatalyst, demostrated by powering decorating LEDs.

Co-author/s:

Dr. Firoz Khan, Research Scientist, KFUPM.

Dr. Perumal Elumalai, Professor, Pondicherry University.
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