SUNY Poly awarded $360K grant for research on next-generation batteries

SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), which has campuses in the Albany and Utica areas, recently announced that Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik, interim VP of research advancement and graduate studies, has been selected to receive $360,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Army Research Office — U.S. Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground.

The grant will fund work to develop more advanced batteries with greater energy storage capabilities compared to conventional batteries, according to a SUNY Poly news release. In partnership with a team of collaborators at the Army Research Laboratory, Shahedipour-Sandvik’s team will explore the potential of “betavoltaic” (BV) and “beta photovoltaic” (BPV) devices, which use beta particles, or electrons, that are produced by a radioactive source to generate electricity that can be especially useful for applications in environments where a long battery life is required. That includes remote sensing and space applications.