Wei Tong

Selenium pollution that is found in bodies of water around the world can be harmful to humans, animals, and aquatic systems. Current methods of biological treatment for wastewater that contains selenium are expensive, sensitive to water co-contaminants, and can produce unwanted byproducts. Berkeley Lab scientists have developed an electrode material made with iron and nickel that can effectively remove selenium through the process of direct electrochemical reduction. The material performs better than the traditional electrodes used in the process and is cheaper, making it a promising alternative for safe, sustainable water treatment.

The development team is led by Wei Tong and Shengcun Ma. 

https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2024/08/08/rd-100-awards-honor-two-berkeley-lab-innovations/

A team led by Wei Tong of the Applied Energy Materials Group in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division is one of three Berkeley Lab winners of an R&D 100 Award for 2021.

The team developed a unique layered-rocksalt intergrown cathode material for a new generation of lithium-ion batteries that offers higher capacity, faster charging time, superior cycling, thermal stability, and significantly lower raw material production cost. Layered describes how the atoms are arranged in the crystal structure of the material; specifically, to the layering between the lithium and the transition metal.

The team also included Ning Li, Meiling Sun, Jing Xu, and Wanli Yang of the Advanced Light Source.

eta.lbl.gov/news/article/unique-battery-alternative-wins-rd