Thanks to a research stipend for experienced scientists from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Professor Dr. Aimy Bazylak is able to use her Sabbatical Year to work as a guest researcher at the HIU. This award program supports the creation of long-term, collaborative research projects in Germany. Dr. Bazylak will be working together with Dr. Roswitha Zeis’ Young Investigator Group. Both researchers know each other from different conferences and expect promising results from their work together.
Dr. Bazylak’s work for some years has been focused on simulating and visualizing polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Her work is also focused on clean and sustainable energy and the separation and storage of CO2. Dr. Zeis develops high-temperature, polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells with phosphoric acid-doped polymer membranes. Through combining their expertise, both researchers hope to better understand and optimize the acid management of fuel cell systems.
Dr. Bazylak is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto, where she leads a team of talented junior researchers in the Thermofluids for Energy and Advanced Materials (TEAM) Laboratory. In 2012 Dr. Bazylak received the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award and in 2014 she was selected to be a member of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering. She also works as the Associate Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the NSERC CREATE Program in DGRC at the University of Toronto.
Translation by Melissa Pernice
Since January 1st 2015 Stefano Passerini serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Power Sources.
He holds a professorship at the HIU and is Principle Investigator of the research group Electrochemistry for Batteries. Since 1986 he has been working on the development of materials and systems for electrochemical energy storage. His research efforts are focused on the fundamental understanding and the development of materials for lithium batteries, such as ionic liquids, polymer electrolytes, and electrode materials. He is co-author of over 200 publications.
The Journal of Power Sources is the journal for researchers and technologists interested in all aspects of the science, technology and applications of sources of electrochemical power. Journal of Power Sources publishes original research and reviews about the science and applications of primary and secondary batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors and photo-electrochemical cells.
Partners of the FELIZIA (Solid Electrolytes Enabling Lithium Cells for Automotive Use) joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research met at HIU to present latest research results and coordinate further activities.
So far, the insufficient range and high costs have prevented wide market penetration of electric vehicles. According to current prognoses, increasing requirements on electromobile energy storage systems will require innovative solutions to overcome technical limits of conventional lithium-ion cells.
FELIZIA focuses on investigating ceramic materials, by means of which energy density of battery cells will be enhanced significantly compared to conventional materials. As a result, the range of electric cars and integration of electric mobility will be increased. The consortium plans to study a solid-state battery and to check its suitability for automotive use. The partners pursue a novel approach that does not only concentrate on a single component of the cell, but on parallel investigations of anode, cathode, and solid electrolyte to obtain an adjusted cell configuration. Using appropriate solid electrolytes, a novel cathode technology (conversion and high-voltage materials), and lithium-based, high-capacity anodes, safe lithium battery cells of long service life and significantly enhanced energy density will be produced. The cells to be developed under the FELIZIA project are to meet at least the requirements for conventional lithium-ion batteries for 2020+ defined by the National Electric Mobility Platform.
The project partners are the six research institutions and universities HIU, KIT, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Technical University of Munich, and Gießen University and the four industrial companies of BMW, BASF, VW, and Schott. Thanks to this wide scope of scientific and economic competencies, a holistic approach will be ensured. The project is scheduled to have a duration until late 2018.
Within the scope of a triannual project, promoted by the Vector Foundation, Dr. Dominic Bresser will investigate new electrode materials hosting lithium ions by a combined conversion and alloying reaction together with three PhD candidates. The resulting insights into the underlying mechanisms will be used for the development of new materials providing further enhanced energy and power densities. Bresser expects further improvements of battery-powered electric vehicles from his investigation in terms of safety and power and energy density, which result in faster (re-)charge time and longer driving ranges.
Dominic Bresser is currently holding a postdoctoral position at HIU. Prior to this, he was holding a postdoctoral position and Enhanced Eurotalents Fellowship at the Commissariat a` l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) in Grenoble, France in the group of Dr. Sandrine Lyonnard. He carried out his PhD in the group of Professor Stefano Passerini at the University of Muenster and at the HIU, investigating nanostructured active materials for lithium-based batteries. He is Co-Author of more than 40 scientific publications, including two book chapters, and several international patent applications.
You will find here a publication linked to the project
The principal investigators Professor Stefano Passerini, Professor Jens Tübke and Dr. Margret Wohlfahrt-Mehrens participated in a Taiwan-Germany joint workshop on advanced secondary battery technologies at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan. The workshop initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Taiwanese Ministry of Science and Technology was intended to develop joint activities in battery research. Leading battery researchers of both countries met at 7th and 8th February to present their latest findings and to discuss possibilities for cooperation.
Prof. Dr. Otmar Wiestler visited Ulm to inform about the latest research projects on 22 February 2017 and took the opportunity to exchange with HIU Director Prof. Fichtner and Deputy Director Prof. Passerini as well as other members of the board. In order to gain further insights into Ulm as a center for research, Prof. Wiestler also met Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Weber, President of the University of Ulm, and Prof. Klaus-Michael Debatin, Director of the University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Medicine.
Prof. Wiestler was impressed by the variety of battery research in the institute and was also very pleased with the cooperation of the various partner institutions of HIU. The main focus of the visit was on the structure and work program of HIU, the promotion of young scientists, the role of HIU nationally and internationally as well as possible energy systems of the future.
Prof. Wiestler has been President of the Helmholtz Association since 1 September 2015. During the period between January 2004 and August 2015, he chaired the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg (DKFZ) as Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director.
Prof. Dr. Christina Roth joins the HIU as a guest scientist: in collaboration with Dr. Zeis, she studies materials and methodical development for electrochemical energy technologies since March this year.
Both scientists know each other since 2012 when they worked together at the KIT. There, Christina Roth was employed as a group leader at the Institute for Applied Materials – Energy Storage Systems (Prof. H. Ehrenberg).
After her degree in materials science at the Technical University Darmstadt in 2001 and her habilitation in 2008, she worked in Darmstadt as a German junior professor. In 2012, she moved to the Free University of Berlin as a professor for Applied Physical Chemestry.
You can find further information at:www.bcp.fu-berlin.de/chemie/chemie/forschung/PhysTheoChem/agroth/index.html
– Ulm, 21/04/2017 –
What are your research topics at the moment? In particular, what do you study at the HIU?
I’m interested in electrochemical energy technologies, such as fuel cells (they were the starting point of my research activities), redox-flow batteries (which I have been studying since my days at the KIT), and CO2 electroreduction (recently at the FU Berlin).
In collaboration with Dr. Zeis, here at HIU, I study ageing processes of C-based electrodes as well as electrolyte-filled electrodes.
How did you get involved with this research topic? What do you find fascinating about it?
In fact, it was rather by chance: as a materials scientist, I planned on developing artificial knee joints – but “God moves in mysterious ways”. And by the way, saving the world is also quite nice!
How would you assess the development of the HIU in the past years?
I still remember the construction plans, before the HIU was even built. Now it is finished and I really like it. There is a wide range of expertise at the HIU and the methodical facilities are excellent. However, a more “diverse” staff would be even better: more international, younger, more female.
How do you evaluate the current battery technology in the context of media reports about burning smartphone batteries?
I’m not an expert in this field. RFB technology is primarily linked to stationary applications, e.g. the storage of excessive wind power (see ICT Pfinztal). But, of course, bad publicity is always bad for the particular technology, too.
In your opinion, did the German research institutions catch up in the international comparison?
We are getting better, but it’s hard to reverse the demolition of electrochemistry 25 years ago. To succeed, you need persistence as well as well-educated young scientists with career opportunities.
What do you think are the biggest challenges for research on batteries and fuel cells?
Costs, life expectancy, customer acceptance, infrastructure – the list is endless. Much remains to be done!
In the course of a two-day field excursion, pupils from the Robert-Bosch Secondary School Gerlingen visited the HIU on the 27th of April 2017. Following a presentation by managing director Dr. Dagmar Oertel, the visitors were given a guided tour through the laboratories by Dr. Oertel and scientist Tobias Braun.
The main purpose of the visit was to provide the pupils with an insight into research on batteries and to present possible career opportunities. The 20 students of 10th grade, who focus on natural sciences with their chosen subject NwT (natural sciences and engineering), showed interest in current research topics and alternative research focuses.
On 31.05.2017, Prof. Doris Wedlich and Dr. Christian Röthig came to the HIU during the annual visit of the divisional management. After a presentation of the activities of the HIU by the director Prof. Maximilian Fichtner and a subsequent discussion, three scientists from HIU presented their research areas and were available to answer questions: Dr. Franziska Klein informed about the research activity of the HIU regarding halide ion batteries. The research of Dr. Birger Horstmann deals with the use of zinc-air batteries with regard to novel electrolytes. Dr. Dominic Bresser, in turn, researches alternative anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
In a following round of questions, representatives of the directorate, the science and the administration also got into conversation. At the end of the meeting, the visit ended with a walk through the building and a guided tour of the labs.
Prof. Dr. Doris Wedlich has been Head of Division for the Division I since 2014. The Division I combines research, teaching and innovation in the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and process engineering. Dr. Christian Röthig, in turn, is responsible for the areas of human resources and resources.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been a further Young Investigator Group at HIU: Novel electrode materials for rechargeable electrochemical energy storage – in short: NEW E2. . It was officially acknowledged as KIT Young Investigator Group this month. In the next few years, the team around Dr. Dominic Bresser will focus on the research and development of innovative anode materials which store lithium ions reversibly through a combination of conversion and alloying reactions. The goal here is to enable higher energy and power densities.
The research project is funded by the Vector Foundation for the next three years.
http://www.hiu-batteries.de/battery-research-center-in-germany/news/spalte-1/news/dr-dominic-bresser-receives-funding-for-investigation-of-novel-electrode-materials/
In addition to Dominic Bresser, three doctoral students – Jakob Asenbauer, Tobias Eisenmann and Yanjiao Ma – will be researching the topic. The appointment of another doctoral student is scheduled for September.
The research work of NEW E2 responds to current developments in electromobility and the associated growing demand for advances in these storage technologies.
