Adjunct Professor
Office: CHBE 417
Email: arman@chbe.ubc.ca
Research Summary
Electrochemical technologies, advanced battery materials, Li-ion and Na-based batteries, materials synthesis and characterizations, hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysis, electrocatalysis, diagnostics and modeling
Education
University of British Columbia, NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow
Dalhousie University, PhD (NSERC / Killam / Sumner Scholar)
Dalhousie University, MSc
University of British Columbia, BSc (Hon., Co-op)
Research interests + projects
Research Interests
My research spans a broad spectrum of electrochemical science and technologies, including advanced batteries (aqueous and non-aqueous), hydrogen systems such as fuel cells, electrolysis, and hydrogen storage, as well as electrochemical approaches for water treatment and the conversion of waste into value-added chemicals. I am particularly interested in the development of novel materials and their characterization using a range of physical techniques, diagnostics, electroanalytical methods, and modeling—and more recently, in the application of AI and machine learning to battery cycle life and degradation. Recent and past collaborations with industrial and governmental partners have included Anodyne, E-One Moli Energy, Ballard Power Systems, Fraunhofer Institute, the National Research Council, Johnson Matthey, 3M, and others.
Current Research
I am currently engaged in a collaborative Challenge project with the National Research Council, developing oxygen evolution catalysts and transport layers for electrolyzers. Another active area includes sodium-based batteries, with a focus on materials and cell architectures tailored for extreme environmental conditions, ranging from high temperatures to arctic cold.
Teaching
I am passionate about teaching and have lectured in sustainable energy engineering, chemical engineering, electrochemistry, and catalysis. Graduate-level courses delivered have included alternative energy technologies, solar energy, energy modeling, power plants, advanced batteries and fuel cells, and project-based learning.
Scholarly and professional activities + affiliations
Co-founder and Technical Advisor, Mangrove Lithium Inc.
Member at Large, Electrochemical Society
Selected recent publications + presentations
Arman Bonakdarpour, Ivan Stoševski, Aryan Tiwari, Scott R. Smith, B. M. Way, and David P. Wilkinson, Impact of Electrolyte Volume on the Cycling Performance and Impedance Growth of 18650 Li-ion Cells, Journal of The Electrochemical Society 2024, 171 020543.
Bingxin Zhou, Ivan Stoševski, Arman Bonakdarpour, David Wilkinson, Suppressing Chemical and Galvanic Corrosion in Anode‐Free Lithium Metal Batteries Through Electrolyte Design, Advanced Functional Materials 2024, 34 (7), 2311212.
Ivan Stoševski, Arman Bonakdarpour, Baizeng Fang, Philip Lo, David P Wilkinson, Formation of MnxZny (OH)zSO4⋅ 5H2O – not intercalation of Zn – is the basis of the neutral MnO2/Zn battery first discharge reaction Electrochimica Acta 2021, 390, 138852.
Lius Daniel, Arman Bonakdarpour, Rubenthran Govindarajan, David P Wilkinson, Modified New Microporous Carbon Layer Structure for Improved PEM Fuel Cell Performance with Low-Pt Catalyst Loadings, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 2021, 168 (10), 104513.
Matthias Kroschel, Arman Bonakdarpour, Jason Tai Hong Kwan, Peter Strasser and David P. Wilkinson, Analysis of Oxygen Evolving Catalyst Coated Membranes with Different Current Collectors Using a New Modified Rotating Disk Electrode Technique, Electrochimica Acta, 2019, 317, 722-736.