My research interests focus on fundamental chemistry aspects of materials for energy storage, particularly for lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery technologies. By developing a profound understanding of the physical and chemical nature of the materials of study, specific material tailoring can be done to enhance the material electrochemical performance. We make wide use of diffraction and spectroscopic techniques to characterise our materials. This involves regular trips to central facilities outside Lancaster; e.g. Diamond synchrotron and ISIS neutron spallation source @ Oxford and ESRF @ Grenoble (France). Structural characterisation is done in parallel with battery testing, which is performed in state-of-the-art facilities in our brand new Chemistry Department. Our long-term mission is to fabricate a new generation of batteries which will outperform the existing ones to deliver higher energy density, cheaper, safer and longer-lasting.

Evidence of enhanced ion transport in Li-rich silicate intercalation materialsBillaud, J., Eames, C., Tapia Ruiz, N., Roberts, M.R., Naylor, A.J., Armstrong, A.R., Islam, M.S., Bruce, P.G. 17/01/2017 In: Advanced Energy Materials. Anion Redox Chemistry in the Cobalt Free 3d Transition Metal Oxide Intercalation Electrode Li[Li 0.2 Ni 0.2 Mn 0.6 ]O 2Luo, K., Roberts, M.R., Guerrini, N., Tapia-Ruiz, N., Hao, R., Massel, F., Pickup, D.M., Ramos, S., Liu, Y., Guo, J., Chadwick, A.V., Duda, L.C., Bruce, P.G. 7/09/2016 In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. 138, 35, p. 11211-11218. 8 p. High Voltage Mg-Doped Na 0.67 Ni 0.3– x Mg x Mn 0.7 O 2 ( x = 0.05, 0.1) Na-Ion Cathodes with Enhanced Stability and Rate CapabilitySingh, G., Tapia-Ruiz, N., Lopez del Amo, J.M., Maitra, U., Somerville, J.W., Armstrong, A.R., Martinez de Ilarduya, J., Rojo, T., Bruce, P.G. 26/07/2016 In: Chemistry of Materials. 28, 14, p. 5087-5094. 8 p. Ultra-rapid microwave synthesis of Li3-x-yMxN (M = Co, Ni and Cu) nitridometallatesTapia-Ruiz, N., Laveda, J., Smith, R., Corr, S., Gregory, D. 1/11/2015 In: Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers. 2, 11, p. 1045-1050. 6 p. Rate Dependent Performance Related to Crystal Structure Evolution of Na0.67Mn0.8Mg0.2O2 in a Sodium-Ion BatterySharma, N., Tapia-Ruiz, N., Singh, G., Armstrong, A.R., Pramudita, J.C., Brand, H.E.A., Billaud, J., Bruce, P.G., Rojo, T. 27/10/2015 In: Chemistry of Materials. 27, 20, p. 6976-6986. 11 p. Modern microwave methods in solid-state inorganic materials chemistry: from fundamentals to manufacturingJ. Kitchen, H., Vallance, S.R., L. Kennedy, J., Tapia Ruiz, N., Carassiti, L., Harrison, A., Gavin Whittaker, A., D. Drysdale, T., W. Kingman, S., H. Gregory, D. 22/01/2014 Rapid microwave synthesis, characterization and reactivity of lithium nitride hydride, Li4NHTapia-Ruiz, N., Sorbie, N., Vaché, N., Hoang, T.K.A., Gregory, D.H. 21/11/2013 In: Materials. 6, 11, p. 5410-5426. 17 p. The chemistry of ternary and higher lithium nitridesTapia Ruiz, N., Segales, M., H. Gregory, D. 07/2013 Mechanochemical synthesis of tin nanowires for anodes in Li+ ion secondary batteriesTapia-Ruiz, N., Nithya, C., Jayakrishnan, S., Gopukumar, S., Gregory, D.H. 10/2012 In: Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society. 59, 10, p. 1190-1195. 6 p. The challenge of storage in the hydrogen energy cycle: nanostructured hydrides as a potential solutionHanlon, J.M., Reardon, H., Tapia-Ruiz, N., Gregory, D.H. 20/02/2012