January 29th, 2025

In 2025, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), one of the oldest technical universities in Germany, will celebrate its anniversary: ​​200 years since the Karlsruhe Polytechnic School was founded. Under the motto “We are shaping the future. Research | Teaching | Transfer”, KIT is inviting the media to several full-day information trips in 2025.

It starts on February 19, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the topic “Alternative drives and mobility of the future“. In order to find the best solutions for safe and sustainable passenger and freight transport, many different concepts must work together seamlessly. The press trip presents the latest research on the topics of batteries, hydrogen and synthetic fuels. It also shows new types of drive systems and addresses the complex issues of multi-layered transport planning.

The media are invited to this visit at KIT. Please register by e-mail to presse@kit.edu by February 15, 2025.

KIT experts provide information about their research in short, easy-to-understand presentations, discussion formats, and laboratory tours. They provide background knowledge and precisely classify the topics that are of particular interest to citizens, the media, science, business, and politics. Please also note February 20, 2025: On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of KIT and its predecessor institutions, the KIT anniversary ceremony will take place on this day at 6:00 p.m. You will receive a separate media invitation to the ceremony at the beginning of February. (bst)


Press trip “Alternative drives and mobility of the future”

Date/Time:Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Venue:The meeting point is the registration at the KIT North Campus, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen. (Bus transfer to various stations on the North, South and East Campuses).

Press trips in the anniversary year 2025

During a total of five press trips, KIT offers insights into ongoing research and background knowledge on major socially relevant topics.

The dates at a glance:

Further Information about the press trips in the KIT press corner: https://www.200jahre.kit.edu/

Contact for this media invitation
Brigitte Stahl-Busse
Press Officer
Tel.: +49 721 608-41180
E-Mail: Brigitte.Stahl-Busse@kit.edu

November 11, 2024

Three KIT researchers are among the “most cited scientists worldwide” this year. Including two battery researchers. In addition to Prof. Jürgen Janek, the former HIU director Prof. Stefano Passerini is once more counted among the most influential researchers. Passerini has been considered one of the most important scientists in the world since 2015.

Having one’s own work mentioned in other publications is immensely important for scientists of all disciplines. The frequency of citation is an important indicator of influence and reputation within the scientific community. This year – in addition to Passerini – two other KIT scientists are among the “Highly Cited Researchers”, a ranking list maintained by the “Web of Science Group”. It names the scientists whose publications have been cited most frequently. For the current list, the authors evaluated publications from 2014 to 2024. A publication is only considered “Highly Cited” if it is among the top 1% of total citations in its field and year of publication.

This year’s “Highly Cited Researchers” at KIT include:

Passerini has been a professor at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm since January 2014. He was Director of the Institute from 2019 to 2021. He has been working on the development of materials and systems for electrochemical energy storage for 35 years. His research focuses on the fundamental understanding and development of materials for lithium batteries, such as ionic liquids, polymer electrolytes and electrode materials.

Further information

https://www.kit.edu/kit/202411-highly-cited-researchers-aus-dem-kit.php

12. November 2024

The members of Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) would like to commemorate the death of Professor Bruno Scrosati, who worked as a visiting professor in HIU between 2014 and 2016. He was giving a series of inspiring lectures, highly committed to giving advice to young PhD students and future scientists. His valuable lessons of how to build up a career in battery science remain in great memory.

Bruno Scrosati helped in shaping HIU from its foundation in several ways, among which contributing to the publication of the most cited manuscript from HIU and introducing a former PhD student, Stefano Passerini, to become professor and director of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (presently retired). We would like to refer to his heartedly obituary published on Journal of Power Sources website.

Obituary: Bruno Scrosati (1937-2024)*

Bruno Scrosati, born in Ortisei (St. Ulrich in Gröden), Italy, in 1937, passed away on November 5, 2024 in his house in Rome, Italy.

Bruno Scrosati was a true pioneer in the field of electrochemical energy storage, publishing the first report dealing with the “rocking-chair” battery technology, later renamed lithium-ion batteries (M. Lazzari, B. Scrosati, J. Electrochem. Soc. 1980, 127, 773 – 774.). In 1982, Prof. Scrosati co-organised the first International Meeting on Lithium Batteries (IMLB) in Rome, which has since become the most relevant meeting on lithium batteries.

Bruno Scrosati is the recipient of The Research Award from the Battery Division and the De Nora Award, both awarded by the Electrochemical Society. The XVI edition of the Italgas Science and Environment Prize, and the title of Doctor in Science “honoris causa” from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Chalmers University in Sweden and University of Ulm in Germany, are some of the awards Bruno Scrosati has received.

To all who had the privilege of knowing and working with Bruno Scrosati, he was an authentic leader and mentor, always demonstrating a genuine passion for science. Inspired by his enthusiasm, he helped forge two generations of scientists worldwide.

Source: Text by Prof. Stefano Passerini in Journal of Power Sources.

October 10th, 2024

In the ENTISE research project, KIT/HIU supports industry in entering the sodium-ion era

Sodium-ion batteries are considered a more sustainable alternative to lithium-based storage. Sodium is not only inexpensive and abundant, but is also easy to recycle. The challenge, however, is to convert the new technology into industrially usable and scalable cells.
 

Beim Projekt ENTISE arbeiten Unternehmen & Hochschulen gemeinsam an dem Ziel einer europ. Fertigung von Natrium-Ionen-Batterien. Das #KIT ist mit mehreren Instituten beteiligt, als Initiator und Koordinator fungiert der deutsche Batteriehersteller VARTA.https://t.co/hGusE9UbSE pic.twitter.com/Qjl9lUstWF

— KIT Karlsruhe (@KITKarlsruhe) October 23, 2024

This is where the “ENTISE” project (Development of Sodium-Ion Technology for Industrially Scalable Energy Storage) comes in, in which companies and universities work together towards the goal of European production of sodium-ion batteries. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is involved with the Helmholtz Institute Ulm, among others, and the German battery manufacturer VARTA acts as initiator and coordinator.

First round cells to prove themselves in electric cars

“So far, sodium-ion storage has not yet arrived in the European battery industry,” says Maximilian Fichtner from the Institute of Nanotechnology (INT) of KIT and Director of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm, a research facility operated jointly by KIT, the University of Ulm and other partners, where research is also being carried out for ENTISE. “On the one hand, this is because the material concepts are not yet fully developed. We have therefore decided to further optimize the storage capacity and cycle stability. On the other hand, we want to produce enough material to manufacture resilient laboratory samples and even prototypes in round cell design in order to prepare for industrial production.”

Using a small series of round cells, the researchers then want to demonstrate the practical suitability of the future battery in electric vehicles and stationary storage systems under realistic conditions.

The consortium consists of 13 companies and universities and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with around 7.5 million euros.

(KIT mhe, 10.10.2024)


Further information:

https://www.varta-ag.com/de/ueber-varta/news-presse/details/entise-forschungsprojekt-zur-entwicklung-umweltfreundlicher-kostenguenstiger-natrium-ionen-batterien-erfolgreich-gestartet
https://www.kit.edu/kit/202410-natrium-ionen-batterien-fuer-europa.php

In the seminar of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), outstanding international battery researchers share their scientific findings and technological inventions with Ulm scientists and students. The seminar takes place every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. during the lecture period in room 230 at the HIU.

02.10.2024
Dr. Wan-Yu Tsai
Université de Lille – IEMN, Avenue Henri Poincaré, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

15.10.2024
Carlos Catala Rubio and Jan Krug
Einstein Motorsport Ulm

 

About HIU Seminars

In the seminar of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), outstanding international battery researchers share their scientific findings and technological inventions with Ulm scientists and students.

The seminars take place every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. during lecture time. The aim of the HIU is to develop future-proof electrochemical energy storage systems of the next and next generation – that is, storage systems that store more energy and are more powerful, lighter, more durable, safer and more cost-effective than conventional systems.

September 23rd, 2024

The 5th “International Symposium on Magnesium Batteries” (MagBatt V) took place from September 18 to 20, 2024 in Ulm, Germany. Once again we were able to welcome some of the best battery researchers on the topic of multivalent batteries. 
 

Day2 of #MagBatt Conference: Again, today was all about ?Mg, ?Ca, ?Zn and ?Al plus innovative electrolyte ideas. Great talks! @KITKarlsruhe @ClusterPolis @uni_ulm @CELEST_18 pic.twitter.com/gEVLV6cpvR

— Helmholtz Institute Ulm ? (@HelmholtzUlm) September 19, 2024

The conference program included papers on magnesium, calcium, zinc and aluminum batteries and aimed to present and discuss the current progress in the field of post-lithium batteries. Multivalent batteries based on magnesium, calcium, zinc and aluminum offer an interesting alternative in terms of the amount of energy that can be delivered, safety, manufacturing and disposal costs and limited environmental impact. 
 

?? Did you know #MagBatt Conference is growing every time? This year we are welcoming scientists from China, Japan, USA, UK, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden, Israel, Spain, and many more. Great to have you here in Germany! @KITKarlsruhe @uni_ulm @DLR_de @CELEST_18 pic.twitter.com/EltT1IFq8k

— Helmholtz Institute Ulm ? (@HelmholtzUlm) September 18, 2024

Nearly 100 battery experts, including speakers from China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the USA, met in Ulm for three days to discuss current trends and developments in post-lithium batteries. 
 

Can‘t wait to check out all these great posters for #MagBatt!! 2️⃣8️⃣ very promising insights into #multivalent #battery ??materials from all over the world. Thank you to all the contributors! Let’s have a chat next coffee break ☕️ ⁦@KITKarlsruhe⁩ ⁦@MaxFichtnerpic.twitter.com/1Rx9djCZ18

— Helmholtz Institute Ulm ? (@HelmholtzUlm) September 18, 2024

The International Symposium on Magnesium Batteries (MagBatt) has attracted researchers from all over the world since its inception in 2016. This year’s program included a total of 37 lectures and one poster session.


Weiterführende Information

https://www.postlithiumstorage.org/de/news-events/detailseite/magbatt-v

September 6th, 2024

Summer tour: Science Minister Petra Olschowski visits HIU

What comes after the lithium-ion battery? How can the energy transition be successfully implemented? How many and what type of battery storage systems does the country need? Researchers at the University of Ulm and the Helmholtz Institute Ulm are investigating these questions. This is where the energy storage systems of the future are being made from sustainable materials. Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Science Petra Olschowski was able to see this for herself on Friday, September 6th: As part of her summer tour under the motto “How do we want to live together in the future?” she visited the University of Ulm and the HIU and spoke to employees and young researchers. 
 

Wissenschaftsministerin Petra Olschowski vom @mwk__de hat heute die #uulm sowie @HelmholtzUlm besucht. Sie informierte sich über den aktuellen Stand der Batterieforschung auf unserem Green Energy Campus?? https://t.co/jKq2QgwJO8 *cl ? Elvira Eberhardt / Uni Ulm pic.twitter.com/YdbOS308ut

— Universität Ulm (@uni_ulm) September 6, 2024

Reliable electrical storage systems such as batteries and efficient energy conversion systems such as fuel cells are key to the energy transition. Science Minister Petra Olschowski gained a wide range of insights into research into the energy storage systems of the future on Friday during her visit to the University of Ulm and the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU). The first stop was the university’s Senate Hall, where Vice President Professor Michael Kühl welcomed the minister and Professors Axel Groß and Maximilian Fichtner presented research into electrochemical energy storage systems in the science city.

The focus was particularly on work on sustainable battery materials at the HIU and in the Post Lithium Storage POLiS Cluster of Excellence, the first and only nationwide cluster of excellence for battery research, for which the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Ulm have just submitted a continuation application. “The development of innovative energy storage systems is of great importance for the success of the energy transition. Ulm’s science city has developed into an internationally visible beacon of energy research: In this research environment, the urgently needed energy storage and converters of the future are being created with the development goal of sustainability and recyclability,” said Science Minister Petra Olschowski. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the University of Ulm, KIT and their strong partners for the continuation application for the unique battery excellence cluster. The country will also continue to support energy and battery research to the best of its ability.”

More than 30 years of experience in basic research

The head of the Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, Professor Axel Groß, stressed that it is not a given that Ulm is now playing in the Champions League when it comes to electrochemical energy storage: In the 1990s, electrochemistry was considered old-fashioned – but the University of Ulm expanded it anyway. Today, it benefits from more than 30 years of basic research and occupies an exceptional position in Europe. With around 500 employees, Ulm is also the largest location in Germany in this field, added Professor Maximilian Fichtner. The managing director of the HIU not only named the previous successes of the POLiS Cluster of Excellence, but also explained the goals for the requested second funding period. In the future, research will no longer focus on individual components, but on the full cell. And Ulm is to become the world’s leading post-lithium battery research center. A decisive factor for this is the interdisciplinary cooperation: with the KIT and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) as well as with the Ulm location of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) within the framework of the HIU and the CELEST network. Minister Olschowski then visited several laboratories at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm and talked to young scientists and employees.

The minister’s visit also focused on the excellence activities of the University of Ulm, which is not only applying for the aforementioned continuation of POLiS, but also for another excellence cluster: With “Chem4Quant”, a joint initiative of KIT, the University of Ulm and the University of Stuttgart, an interdisciplinary team from chemistry and physics as well as from computer and materials sciences wants to develop atomically precise material structures for future quantum technologies. “We are very pleased about the support of our excellence activities by the minister,” said Vice President Professor Michael Kühl. “Through outstanding research on the pressing issues of our time, as we conduct it at the University of Ulm, we are securing the future viability of our region.”


Further information, text and media contact:

Christine Liebhardt, Head of Press and Public Relations at Ulm University, email: christine.liebhardt(at)uni-ulm.de, phone: (0731) 22121

https://hiu-batteries.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PE-Sommertour-2024_-Ulm.pdf

https://www.uni-ulm.de/nawi/naturwissenschaften/nawi-detailseiten/news-detail/article/wissenschaftsministerin-petra-olschowski-zu-gast-an-der-uni-ulm/

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ministerium-f%C3%BCr-wissenschaft-forschung-und-kunst-baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg_bei-ihrer-sommertour-hat-sich-ministerin-activity-7237930571740450816-gBUM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Juli 22nd, 2024

With his highly acclaimed research into sustainable battery storage, Professor Maximilian Fichtner, Director of the HIU, has achieved several groundbreaking breakthroughs – and he has contributed a lot to the expansion and visibility of the strategic research field of energy conversion and storage at the University of Ulm. The chemist also succeeds in making these topics and activities visible to the public and communicating them in an understandable way. For his work, Fichtner received the Ulm City Science Prize from Mayor Martin Ansbacher on “Schwörmontag”.

He has dedicated himself entirely to researching new and more powerful batteries and has set international standards in the process: For this, Professor Maximilian Fichtner has now received the City of Ulm’s Science Prize, worth 7,500 euros. It was presented by Mayor Martin Ansbacher on Monday, July 22, as part of the swearing-in ceremony at the Weinhof. “Professor Fichtner has achieved several groundbreaking breakthroughs and advances with his research into electrochemical energy storage (batteries),” Ansbacher quoted from the certificate text.

Fichtner is a professor of solid-state chemistry at the University of Ulm. He is also the director of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) for Electrochemical Energy Storage at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Ulm. His breakthroughs in this field include a new class of high-performance storage materials for lithium-ion batteries based on disordered sodium chloride structures. Above all, however, he has also established new research fields in the area of ​​lithium-free storage and, together with his team, has achieved important breakthroughs in the development of modern, high-performance batteries based on sustainable raw materials, for example developing the first rechargeable magnesium-sulfur battery. “Working on new energy storage systems based on compatible raw materials is a particular motivation for my team and for me. In addition, it is important, especially in today’s times, to take people along and keep them informed and up to date,” says Fichtner. “This also applies in particular to electromobility, which is surrounded by a particularly large number of myths.” The chemist has also made a name for himself in the field of science communication: as an expert who is in demand throughout the German-speaking world, who skilfully classifies the latest news about alleged miracle batteries from China and explains complex topics of energy storage in a way that even laypeople can understand.

Maximilian Fichtner also has the gift of communicating science vividly

In addition to his internationally acclaimed research activities, Fichtner has contributed a great deal to the expansion and visibility of energy conversion and storage, one of the strategic research fields of the University of Ulm. This includes in particular the establishment and expansion of activities at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm, the CELEST research platform and the POLiS Cluster of Excellence. The HIU has developed into the leading battery research institute in Germany and is one of the top addresses worldwide in the field of electrochemical energy storage. As its director, Fichtner recognized early on the advantages and opportunities that arise from close cooperation and further expanded this cooperation between KIT and the University of Ulm. “We are fortunate to have one of the largest ecosystems in international battery research here at the site – and one of the most respected scientists in this field,” says University President Professor Michael Weber. “Maximilian Fichtner also has the gift of communicating science clearly. We are very pleased that he is receiving the 2024 Science Prize.”

The science prize for Ulm University of Applied Sciences, also endowed with 7,500 euros, went to Professor Marianne von Schwerin. Her current research focuses on the use and further development of artificial intelligence methods in embedded systems, such as photovoltaic systems. She has initiated numerous cooperation projects with regional universities and developed new formats for the transfer of ideas, knowledge and technology.

Further information about Prof. Dr. Maximilian Fichtner

The chemist Maximilian Fichtner, born in Heidelberg in 1961, came to the University of Ulm in 2013 as a professor of solid-state chemistry. Since 2015 he has been director of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage. He also heads the Energy Storage Systems Department at the Institute of Nanotechnology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Fichtner is the spokesperson for Germany’s only battery excellence cluster, POLiS (Post Lithium Energy Storage), and scientific director of the Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm-Karlsruhe (CELEST). He studied and received his doctorate at KIT.

About the Science Prize of the City of Ulm

Every two years, the city of Ulm awards the Science Prize, worth a total of 15,000 euros, for outstanding scientific achievements by individuals, research groups or working groups. Traditionally, half of the prize goes to researchers at the University of Ulm and half to Ulm Technical University. The Science Prize is awarded by the Ulm City Council following a preliminary decision by a jury in which the University, Ulm Technical University and members of the City Council are represented.

Photo: Christine Liebhardt / Uni Ulm

Further Information: 

https://www.uni-ulm.de/nawi/naturwissenschaften/nawi-detailseiten/news-detail/article/wissenschaftspreis-der-stadt-ulm-fuer-prof-maximilian-fichtner/

Sept. 18-20 Sept., 2024

The 5th International Symposium on Magnesium Batteries (MagBatt V) will take place from September 18 to 20, 2024 in Ulm, Germany. As always we will welcome some of the world’s top battery speakers. The conference will feature contributions on magnesium, calcium, zinc and aluminum batteries. The aim of the conference is to present and discuss the recent state-of-the-art and the progress in the post-lithium field.

The conference is organized by the Helmholtz Institute Ulm and the POLiS Cluster of Excellence.

All further information can be found here: https://www.postlithiumstorage.org/en/magbatt-v

June 1st, 2024

The HIU research group leader Dr. Dominic Bresser was appointed professor at the University of Ulm on June 1, 2024. Dominic Bresser has been researching electrochemical energy storage for around 14 years. After studying and completing his doctorate at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and a two-year research stay in France, he has been working at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm since 2017.

The focus of his work is on the development of new battery materials and the improvement of existing electrode materials and electrolyte systems for lithium and sodium batteries as well as related energy storage technologies. The aim of his materials research is to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms and processes that enable and determine the reversible storage of charge carriers in the electrodes and their transport in the electrolyte.

His work combines elementary basic research with applied questions and the transfer of the results into industrial solutions and is funded, for example, by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, state ministries, various industrial companies, the German Research Foundation (DFG), private foundations and the European Commission. In 2022, he also received a prestigious ERC Starting Grant for the development of novel electrode materials from the European Research Council and the year before he was awarded the Carus Medal by the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina for his significant contributions to battery research.

His research group “Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials” at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm currently consists of almost 30 people. Prof. Dominic Bresser takes up the third HIU professorship alongside Prof. Maximilian Fichtner and Prof. Arnulf Latz.