Pakistan-US Science and Technology Cooperation Program Phase 7 (2017 Deadline) Laser-assisted fabrication of graphene and MXene based novel energy storage devices US Partner: Deji Akinwande, University of Texas Pakistan Partner: Syed Rizwan Hussain, National University of Science & Technology (NUST)   Project summary Using novel architecture, the team will fabricate different energy storage devices, including lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors. Progress Report 2020: The project titled “Laser-assisted fabrication of graphene and MXene based novel energy storage devices” explored new materials to advance energy storage science and technology. Firstly, the project required development of new nanomaterials, understand their crystal and electronics structures and explore their potential for charge-storage capacity in devices such as battery that can be used in a variety of electronic gadgets. This demands development of laboratory infrastructure followed by extensive human capacity training. The development of laboratory facilities under this project served the purpose by, providing the students in Pakistan with new lab-facilities that opened new horizons for research such as producing Mxene materials that were further studied by the US Investigator. One of the other aims of the project was to develop international collaborations so that students can benefit from state-of-the-art laboratories across the world and benefit from the experience of interacting with world-renowned researchers. Several international conferences and international collaborations have been successfully developed. This project has not only flourished the skills of students by providing training and hands-on-experience in state-of-the-art equipment but also helped in exploring new smart materials as an alternative to conventional battery electrodes. The students working under the project developed prototype energy storage device alongside designing new materials that showed good charge-storage capacity, long charge duration and relatively high charge/discharge cycles. The explored novel materials have proven to have potential for energy storage applications. 2019: This project is focused on exploring advanced materials for energy storage devices. Towards this end, materials such as metal carbide two-dimensional films, also known as MXenes, have been synthesized. Different synthesis conditions were explored with the goal of obtaining crystalline high-quality films. Several characterization methods including x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy have been employed in the studies of the nanomaterials. The first supercapacitor energy storage device has been fabricated and successfully tested. The preliminary results are promising and indicate the research is making progress towards the goal of energy storage devices based on advanced nanomaterials. 2018: This project is focused on exploring advanced materials for energy storage devices. Towards this end, materials such as metal carbide two-dimensional films, also known as MXenes, have been synthesized. Different synthesis conditions were explored with the goal of obtaining crystalline high-quality films. Several characterization methods including x-ray diffraction have been employed in the studies of the nanomaterials. The first supercapacitor energy storage device has been fabricated and successfully tested. The preliminary results are promising and indicate the research is making progress towards the goal of energy storage devices based on advanced nanomaterials.