Zeineb Chabrak: Discovering New Energy Storage Devices

Zeineb Chakrab

When you hear “energy storage,” you probably think about batteries, like those in our mobile phones. Have you heard of the lithium-ion supercapacitor, a different electricity storage device? Zeineb Chabrak, PhD student in electrical engineering in the laboratory for systems and applications for information and electrical energy technologies (SATIE - Université Paris-Saclay, ENS Paris-Saclay, CNRS) has chosen to focus her thesis on the subject: “Electrothermal Characterisation and Associated Modelling of Hybrid Supercapacitor Modules for On-board Storage Applications”.

What does your research work entail?

I am working on a new electricity storage device, the lithium-ion supercapacitor. It is a hybrid that combines two types of energy storage devices. It is quite recent, so it is insufficiently characterised. Studies about it are rare. I do experiments and study behaviour, for example under different temperatures or with voltage over a long period of time.

Why did you choose this topic?

There are many subjects in electrical engineering. I was very interested in the course about energy storage during my studies at ENSEEIHT (École nationale supérieure d'électrotechnique, d'électronique, d'informatique, d'hydraulique et des télécommunications - Higher National School of Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Computer Science, Hydraulics and Telecommunications) in Toulouse.  That is where I had the best perspective of possible uses. It is a promising and profitable subject, with many fields of application, for example in transport.

What do you plan to do after your thesis?

I am open. I taught during the three years of my thesis so that I could apply for a position as senior lecturer. But I would also consider working in the industrial sector.

Why did you decide to participate in MT180?

I took advantage of my thesis to explore as many opportunities as possible, including teaching. My thesis subject is not very easy to understand, nor is it very attractive. MT180 helped me to learn how to describe it effectively.  What’s more, some people still think that electrical engineering is not a field for girls. By explaining what I do, people can see that energy storage is a topic for everyone.