Dr Jennifer Johnstone-Hack (she/her)

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Lecturer in Sustainable Materials

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow

Profile photo of Jennifer Hack
Profile picture of Profile photo of Jennifer Hack
j.johnstone-hack@sheffield.ac.uk
Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Jennifer Johnstone-Hack
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I joined the department in 2023 as a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow. I completed my PhD at University College London in 2021 working on fuel cell characterisation. After several years working on battery technologies, first through an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship studying zinc-air batteries, followed by a Project Lead role on the Faraday Institution's LiSTAR project, I joined the School of CMBE to focus on hydrogen and electrochemical device research.

My research interests surround the complex relationship between materials morphology, performance and degradation in electrochemical devices. My fellowship will use 4D imaging methods, including X-ray and neutron CT, to study morphology evolution in electrolysers and will translate the insights gained into designing new structures for various electrolyser components, including the catalyst layer and porous transport layer. I also aim to develop robust processes for imaging and analysing all types of electrochemical devices, including electrolysers, batteries and fuel cells.

Research interests

Electrochemical devices, like electrolysers and batteries, are used for converting and storing green energy. They have layered material structures, and the key reactions happen at hidden interfaces between these layers. My research uses 3D tomographic imaging methods, to 'see inside' these devices while they are operating and failing. Computed tomography, or CT, is the same process used in a hospital CT-scan, e.g. if you'd broken a bone.

We aim to use the knowledge gained by looking at failure as it’s occurring, to design new, optimised materials structures. These new structures would enable devices with longer lifetimes and higher performance.

Key research interests:

  • 4D imaging methods, including X-ray and neutron CT, in both the research laboratory and at national facilities.
  • Study of failure mechanisms in electrochemical devices, in particular electrolysers and fuel cells.
  • Understanding how materials morphology influences device performance and failure.
  • Proposing and designing new porous media architectures for improved performance and/or durability properties.
Publications

Journal articles

  • Rodríguez RA, Frost B, Johnstone-Hack J, Martinez AE, Said S, Walton RI, Perez Cappe EL, Laffita YM, Shearing PR & Brett DJL (2025) . Next Energy, 8, 100314-100314.
  • Wu Y, Wen Y, Malone I, Tengattini A, Helfen L, Johnstone-Hack J, Majasan J, Li Y, Han Y, Li Q , Chen W et al (2025) . Journal of Power Sources, 648.
  • Altus SJ, Inkson BJ & Hack J (2024) . Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 12(35), 23364-23391.
  • Hack J, Ziesche RF, Fransson M, Suter T, Helfen L, Couture C, Kardjilov N, Tengattini A, Shearing P & Brett D (2024) . Journal of Physics: Energy, 6(2).
  • Zucconi A, Hack J, Stocker R, Suter TAM, Rettie AJE & Brett DJL (2024) . Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 12(14), 8014-8064.
  • Zucconi A, Hack J, Suter TAM, Braglia M, Shearing PR, Brett DJL & Rettie AJE (2023) . Journal of Power Sources, 584, 233574-233574.
  • Hack J, Liu Y, Neville T, He H, He G, Shearing PR & Brett D (2022) . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2022-01(1), 19-19.
  • Ziesche RF, Hack J, Rasha L, Maier M, Tan C, Heenan TMM, Markötter H, Kardjilov N, Manke I, Kockelmann W , Brett DJL et al (2022) . Nature Communications, 13(1).
  • Hack J, Patel D, Bailey JJ, Iacoviello F, Shearing PR & Brett DJL (2022) . Journal of Physics: Materials, 5(1).
  • Chen J, Bailey JJ, Britnell L, Perez-Page M, Sahoo M, Zhang Z, Strudwick A, Hack J, Guo Z, Ji Z , Martin P et al (2022) . Nano Energy, 93.
  • Bethapudi VS, Hack J, Hinds G, Shearing PR, Brett DJL & Coppens M-O (2021) . Energy Conversion and Management, 250, 114924-114924.
  • Bailey JJ, Chen J, Hack J, Perez-Page M, Holmes SM, Brett DJL & Shearing PR (2021) . Journal of Power Sources, 509, 230347-230347.
  • Shah AR, Shutt RRC, Smith K, Hack J, Neville TP, Headen TF, Brett DJL, Howard CA, Miller TS & Cullen PL (2021) . Journal of Physics: Materials, 4(4), 042008-042008.
  • Suter TAM, Smith K, Hack J, Rasha L, Rana Z, Angel GMA, Shearing PR, Miller TS & Brett DJL (2021) . Advanced Energy Materials, 11(37).
  • Leach AS, Hack J, Amboage M, Diaz-Moreno S, Huang H, Cullen PL, Wilding M, Magliocca E, Miller TS, Howard CA , Brett DJL et al (2021) . Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 33(31), 314002-314002.
  • Hack J, Liu Y, He G, Shearing PR & Brett D (2021) . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2021-01(1), 42-42.
  • Bethapudi VS, Hack J, Trogadas P, Hinds G, Shearing PR, Brett DJL & Coppens M-O (2020) . Energy Conversion and Management, 220, 113083-113083.
  • Hack J, Rasha L, Cullen PL, Bailey JJ, Neville TP, Shearing PR, Brandon NP & Brett DJL (2020) . Electrochimica Acta, 352, 136464-136464.
  • Hack J, García-Salaberri PA, Kok MDR, Jervis R, Shearing PR, Brandon N & Brett DJL (2020) . Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 167(1), 013545-013545.
  • Wu Y, Cho JIS, Whiteley M, Rasha L, Neville TP, Ziesche R, Xu R, Owen R, Kulkarni N, Hack J , Maier M et al (2020) . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 45(3), 2195-2205.
  • Bethapudi VS, Hack J, Trogadas P, Cho JIS, Rasha L, Hinds G, Shearing PR, Brett DJL & Coppens M-O (2019) . Energy Conversion and Management, 202, 112198-112198.
  • Heenan TMM, Tan C, Hack J, Brett DJL & Shearing PR (2019) . Materials Today, 31, 69-85.
  • Kulkarni N, Cho JIS, Rasha L, Owen RE, Wu Y, Ziesche R, Hack J, Neville T, Whiteley M, Kardjilov N , Markötter H et al (2019) . Journal of Power Sources, 439, 227074-227074.
  • Finegan DP, Darst J, Walker W, Li Q, Yang C, Jervis R, Heenan TMM, Hack J, Thomas JC, Rack A , Brett DJL et al (2019) . Journal of Power Sources, 417, 29-41.
  • Meyer Q, Hack J, Mansor N, Iacoviello F, Bailey JJ, Shearing PR & Brett DJL (2019) . Fuel Cells, 19(1), 35-42.
  • Kulkarni N, Meyer Q, Hack J, Jervis R, Iacoviello F, Ronaszegi K, Adcock P, Shearing PR & Brett DJL (2019) . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 44(2), 1139-1150.
  • Tan C, Heenan TMM, Ziesche RF, Daemi SR, Hack J, Maier M, Marathe S, Rau C, Brett DJL & Shearing PR (2018) . ACS Applied Energy Materials, 1(9), 5090-5100.
  • Hack J, Heenan TMM, Iacoviello F, Mansor N, Meyer Q, Shearing P, Brandon N & Brett DJL (2018) . Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 165(6), F3045-F3052.
  • Tate ML, Hack J, Kuang X, McIntyre GJ, Withers RL, Johnson MR & Radosavljevic Evans I (2015) . Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 225, 383-390.

Book chapters

  • Giri G, Brett D, Shearing P & Hack J (2025) , Electrochemical Energy Storage Technologies Beyond LI-ION Batteries (pp. 369-403). Elsevier

Conference proceedings

  • Hack J, Meyer Q, Iacoviello F, Cullen P, Mansor N, Shearing P, Brandon N & Brett D (2017) A MULTI-SCALE APPROACH TO POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELL CHARACTERISATION. Efc 2017 Proceedings of the 7th European Fuel Cell Piero Lunghi Conference (pp 235-236)
Teaching activities

MAT61021: Energy Generation and Storage