October 01, 2021
Since October 1, 2021, Prof. Dr. Maximilian Fichtner once again takes the role of Executive Director at Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU). The Board of Directors of the institute is again changing its head after his predecessor Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini has held the office since October 2018. According to the statutes, a rotation is planned every three years. Prof. Fichtner begins his second term of office as executive director. In 2015 he replaced founding director Prof. Horst Hahn in this position.
Prof. Dr. Maximilian Fichtner is our new 2021 (and former 2015) Executive Director of HIU. ?? Follow the link for his view on our institute’s future. #battery #science @KITKarlsruhe @CELEST_18 @2030Battery @ClusterPolis https://t.co/nlpClPq3DN
— Helmholtz Institute Ulm ?? (@HelmholtzUlm) October 11, 2021
Prof. Fichtner, everyone is currently talking about electromobility and battery research. Which research topics relating to electromobility will be the focus of the next three years at the HIU?
Prof. Dr. Fichtner: “The main focus of the HIU is certainly on the topics – “Further” (more storage capacity”),”Faster” (faster loading) and “More sustainable” (without the use of critical raw materials). With regard to the latter point in particular, we are now one of the leading institutions in Europe. Winning the POLiS Cluster of Excellence gave us exceptional opportunities to research batteries that do not use lithium or heavy metals.”
What challenges are you currently facing at the HIU? As at every research institution, there are certainly very own visions, but also problems.
Prof. Dr. Fichtner: “We have to master the challenge that the HIU faces constantly rising costs with the same basic funding. Furthermore, we are slowly getting space problems in the HIU building and – despite very successful third-party funding so far – we cannot continue to grow at the moment.
In general, opportunities arise from the fact that we have developed into one of the most important research institutes in Europe over the past 10 years. This makes it easier to participate in important research projects. Our expertise is unique and we address the most important and pressing questions in our research fields.”
Since October 1st, 2021 you have been “Executive Director” at the HIU again – for the second time. Where do you see your personal role?
Prof. Dr. Fichtner: “My first time as executive director was marked by the strengthening of the Ulm-Karlsruhe association. To this end, we founded CELEST, acquired the POLiS Cluster of Excellence and, as an association, have now reached a central position in the major European initiative BATTERY 2030+.
We have also made efforts to strengthen the HIU by attracting excellent young research groups and to make it better known overall. This was only feasible through the joint effort of all colleagues and was very successful in the end.
It remains to be seen what the new director’s time will bring. We have to keep the HIU stable and lead it into a successful and exciting future with a sustainable program. There are still exciting topics ahead of us.”
What did you particularly appreciate about your predecessor Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini?
Prof. Dr. Fichtner: “Prof. Passerini is an excellent colleague and scientist of high international stature. He can regularly be found in the list of the most cited scientists in our field. His word carries weight in the community; and this is how he succeeded in taking on an important coordinating role within the framework of the European Energy Alliance (EERA). This contributes a lot to the visibility of our institute.”
A word to the young scientists. One important focus at the HIU is increasingly focusing on the next generation: Which researchers are you looking for at the HIU in the future?
Prof. Dr. Fichtner: “I think it’s scientists who want to make a difference. Scientists who know that they can benefit from the excellent scientific environment and who want to have their time at the HIU clearly on the credit side of their resume. Some come to fill a clearly defined task in a joint project with life, some come with their own ideas. After testing, we give you the opportunity to realize this with us. In this way, we have already started several junior research groups and we are pleased about the high visibility that these groups have already achieved.”
Thank you for the interview, Prof. Fichtner.
In the seminar at 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.
29.09.2021
Prof. Dr. Ehrenfried Zschech
deepXscan GmbH, Dresden, Germany
03.11.2021
Prof. Dr. Patrik Johansson
Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg Sweden & Alistore-ERI, FR CNRS 3104, Amiens, France
17.11.2021
Prof. Dr. Elie Paillard
Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
01.12.2021
Dr. Simon Fleischmann
Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU)
08.12.2021
Dr. Tobias Placke
MEET Battery Research Center, Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Münster, Germany
15.12.2021
T.T.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Helge S. Stein
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU)
2022
12.01.2022
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek
Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) & Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany
19.01.2022
Prof. Dr. Ivana Hasa
WMG, The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
02.02.2022
Prof. Dr. Thierry Brousse
Université de Nantes, CNRS, Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel, IMN & RS2E, CNRS 3459, Amiens, France
09.02.2022
Dr. Maria Assunta Navarra
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
16.02.2022
Prof. Dr. Francesca Soavi
Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician”, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy. Bettery srl, Massafra (TA), Italy
11.03.2022
Dr. Michael Mercer
Chemistry Department, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
22.03.2022
Prof. Dr. Brett L. Lucht
Department of Chemistry, The University of Rhode Island, USA
28. September 2021
Within the ALANO Project, Industry and Science Develop Innovative Concepts for Accumulators with a Lithium-metal Anode
Solid-state batteries may push electric mobility. Within the new application-oriented ALANO project coordinated by BMW AG, partners from industry and science study lithium batteries of the next generation: A lithium metal anode and a solid electrolyte ensure high safety and enhance energy density on cell level, thus increasing the range of electric cars. The Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) is significantly involved in the project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research.
Forschung für sichere #Feststoffbatterien: Im Projekt ALANO entwickeln Industrie und Wissenschaft innovative Konzepte für Akkus mit Lithiummetall-Anode – Forschende des KIT untersuchen elektrochemische Aspekte. https://t.co/DwcyPuSBY8 pic.twitter.com/irnw40Kqih
— KIT Karlsruhe (@KITKarlsruhe) September 27, 2021
Light and powerful, inexpensive and safe – accumulators for electric cars have to meet several criteria. For some time now, battery researchers and automotive manufacturers have therefore focused on solid-state batteries. In such batteries, both electrodes and the electrolyte are made of solid materials. The solid electrolyte in particular promises to enhance safety: It is hardly inflammable and cannot leak. The new collaboration project ALANO (stands for: Alternative Anode Concepts for Safe Solid-state Batteries) deals with lithium batteries of the next generation and focuses on the lithium metal anode as the central component. ALANO is aimed at enhancing energy density of a solid-state battery at high safety.
Higher Energy Density – Longer Range
“Use of lithium metal as anode material may considerably enhance energy density on cell level and, thus, increase the range of electric cars,” says Professor Stefano Passerini, Director of the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), one of the partners of ALANO, and Head of the Electrochemistry for Batteries Group. Within the ALANO project, partners from research and industry evaluate various innovative lithium metal-based anode concepts for solid-state batteries in order to optimize reactivity, safety, and performance of the anode and to integrate the latter in a robust cell unit of high energy density. Combination with a solid electrolyte is of decisive importance. Contrary to conventional liquid electrolytes that strongly react with lithium metal, solid electrolytes are less reactive and, hence, enable formation of kinetically stable interfaces. This promises to result in several advantages: “First, safety will be improved considerably, as the cells will not contain any liquid and easily inflammable substances,” says Dr. Dominic Bresser, Head of the Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials Group of HIU. “Second, robustness of the cells is increased, which facilitates handling, cooling, and system integration.” In this way, costs on the cell, module, and system levels will be reduced. At the same time, durability of the cells is increased, thus improving its sustainability.
Research and Development along the Chain of Values Added
The ALANO project covers the entire chain of values added of solid-state batteries with a lithium metal anode: From the selection of materials to the manufacture of components, to producing cells, to battery scaling for use in vehicles and other applications, to recycling. Hence, circular economy aspects will also be taken into account. Partners from industry and research collaborate across branches and disciplines in the ALANO project.
The consortium is coordinated by BMW AG. Among the other industry partners are Applied Materials GmbH, ARLANXEO GmbH, DAIKIN Chemical Europe GmbH, RENA Technologies GmbH, and VARTA Microbattery GmbH. Research partners include HIU, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Electrochemical Energy Technology Battery Research Center (MEET) at the University of Münster, Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), and Gießen University. BASF SE is an associated project partner. ALANO will start in September 2021 and is scheduled for a duration of three years. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will fund ALANO under the “Battery 2020 Transfer” program (battery materials for future electromobile, stationary, and other industrially relevant uses).
Further information
https://www.kit.edu/kit/pi_2021_085_forschung-fur-sichere-feststoffbatterien.php
https://www.maschinenmarkt.vogel.de/das-sind-die-feststoffbatterien-der-naechsten-generation-a-1059372/
September 18th, 2021
To get to the official subpage of the “Open Battery Day 2021” at HIU, please follow this link (Link).
September 17th, 2021
To get to the official subpage of HIU’s “10th Anniversary Celebration“, please follow this link (Link).
September 16, 2021
The member states of the European Union (EU) plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This will not only require extended use of renewable energy sources, but also investments in energy storage systems. StoRIES, a new European research consortium, has now been established to accelerate their development. It is coordinated by Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) that was founded by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Ulm University.
Welcome! “Storage Research Infrastructure Eco-System” (StoRies) – ?????????⚡️? With Europe’s “Green Deal”, a new European research consortium for Energy Storage starts at HIU/KIT. https://t.co/zGGboRWZk8
— Helmholtz Institute Ulm ?? (@HelmholtzUlm) September 16, 2021
In December 2019, the European Commission presented the “European Green Deal” to reach its climate goals. The focus lies on the energy sector that is planned to be transformed to enable power production from renewable energy sources. However, this alone will not be sufficient, says Professor Stefano Passerini, Director of HIU: “To use the fluctuating renewable energy sources of wind and solar power on a large scale, we will need the corresponding energy storage systems.” For this reason, the “Green Deal” also includes coordinated research and development work in Europe, among others in the new research consortium StoRIES (Storage Research Infrastructure Eco-System). It will enable researchers from all over Europe who have specialized in different fields to pool their knowledge and work together on hybrid energy storage technologies in close cooperation with industry. “We want to accelerate development of new, innovative, and mature storage solutions and have created a joint ecosystem for this purpose,” Passerini says. And the coordinator of StoRIES continues: “Pooling of know-how opens up often underestimated synergies. The “European Green Deal” presents us challenging homework that can only be done together.” On November 1, 2021, work will start officially.
Accelerated Development with Smart Methods
The most important technical goal of StoRIES is the development of future energy storage systems of all kinds. The research consortium will mainly focus on hybrid storage systems. “We will need powerful, persistent, sustainable, and inexpensive solutions,” Dr. Myriam Gil Bardají says. The science manager coordinates the activities of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) at KIT and was involved in the establishment of StoRIES. “At the moment, however, no energy storage technology is sufficiently flexible to meet all these criteria. It will therefore be necessary to combine technologies. In this way, we will benefit from advantages and compensate drawbacks.”
Joint access to first-class research infrastructures and services will remove research obstacles and push innovation. Research is aimed at improving material properties for current and future applications and optimizing hybrid energy storage systems. “We also work on reducing development times for new technologies by a factor of ten,” says Dr. Holger Ihssen from the Brussels Office of the Helmholtz Association that supported the launch of the new research consortium. “We also want to accelerate commercialization of new innovations for renewable energy technologies to become competitive much faster.” This will be achieved by the use of modern supercomputers, automation technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI) for specific development of materials suited for energy storage systems. In addition, StoRIES will analyze sociotechnical and ecological aspects. “To reduce environmental impacts, the new storage technologies will be optimized in terms of resource consumption and recyclability from the very beginning,” Ihssen points out.
Transdisciplinary Education of Tomorrow’s Specialists
The new alliance of research and industry will also assume responsibility for the education of the new generation of researchers, engineers, and specialists. Apart from courses for companies, universities, and young scientists, training on ecological, legal, economic, and social aspects of energy storage systems will be offered. “For the energy transition to be successful, we will not only need adequate technologies, but also an understanding of non-technical aspects, such as public approval, legal framework conditions, and economic efficiency,” says Dr. Olga Suminńska-Ebersoldt, science manager at HIU and one of the initiators of StoRIES. “Mutual understanding across the borders of the often separate research groups will enable close collaboration.” Through education of tomorrow’s specialists, the transdisciplinary approach to the development of energy storage technologies will persist even after the termination of StoRIES.
StoRIES: A Unique Ecosystem for Energy Storage Research
The new consortium of institutes of technology, universities, and industrial companies comprises 17 partner institutions and 31 associated partners from 17 countries, who have vast expertise on energy storage technologies (electrochemical, chemical, thermal, mechanical, and superconducting magnetic storage systems). Members of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) form the core of the new ecosystem. The European Commission funds StoRIES with about EUR 7 million for initially four years under the Horizon 2020 program.
Further information
https://www.eera-energystorage.eu/stories.html
September 15th/16th, 2021
To get to the official subpage of the “Biennial Meeting 2021” at HIU, please follow this link (Link).
September 1st, 2021
The Carus Medal goes to KIT scientist: Dominic Bresser receives the Leopoldina award for his significant contributions to battery research
The Leopoldina, the National Academy of Sciences, honors the research of HIU’s chemist Dominic Bresser from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with this year’s Carus Medal for the outstanding research work in his field. The Carus Medal honors significant scientific discoveries and research achievements by younger researchers. The award will be presented to the scientist in Halle (Saale) at a ceremonial opening of the Leopoldina annual meeting in compliance with the Corona rules on Friday, September 24, 2021.
Congratulations, Dominic Bresser! ??️ The National Academy of Sciences @Leopoldina honored our HIU colleague, Head of #Battery Research Group Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials, with the Carus medal. https://t.co/IdEOFATtzh https://t.co/D77T8Y13E5
— Helmholtz Institute Ulm ?? (@HelmholtzUlm) September 6, 2021
Dominic Bresser and his research group Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials, deals with energy storage in batteries. Improving them and making them more sustainable is important for electromobility and other aspects relevant to the energy transition. The scientist researches alternative electrode materials and electrolyte systems for lithium-based batteries and related technologies. He contributed significantly to various innovations such as two new classes of anode materials and an electrolyte system based on ionic organic liquid crystals. His work helps to expand the range of storage technologies.
Further information
https://www.kit.edu/kit/29640.php
https://www.leopoldina.org/presse-1/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilung/press/2812/
August 25th, 2021
The German-French Research Project MOLIBE at HIU is on the way to a completely solid, metal-free rechargeable Battery has reached an important intermediate step: The scientists have successfully developed organic full cells that run stably for several hundred cycles.
In order for the energy turnaround to succeed, renewable energies and power grids need to be expanded – but also sustainable and safe energy storage systems. Lithium-ion batteries are considered to be the most promising technology for reversible energy storage, but are currently still too expensive and unsafe for widespread use. The high costs arise from the use of metals such as cobalt, nickel or lithium copper. The safety concerns apply to the easy flammability and the low stability of the liquid electrolytes.
The MOLIBE project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is therefore working on completely solid, metal-free, rechargeable batteries made from organic active materials and polymer electrolyte systems. The researchers have now achieved their first major success: They have developed organic full cells that run stably for several hundred cycles, but which still contain Li ions. One of the two half-cells developed is even stable for over 5,000 cycles.
The efficient and sustainable synthesis process for the active materials is an important building block for a possible commercialization of the technology. The French project partner CEA is therefore already planning a patent application for the process.
The next steps of the project are already being planned: The scientists want to introduce a new polymer electrolyte developed by the project. You want to increase the cell voltage to greater than 2.0 volts in order to increase the energy density and replace the Li ions with less critical metal ions such as sodium or, ideally, even with non-metallic ions.
Further information & links
https://www.fona.de/de/themen/leitinitiative-energiewende.php
12. August 2021
Nickel-rich cathode and ionic liquid electrolyte enable extremely high energy density with good stability – researchers report in Joule magazine
A new type of lithium metal battery offers an extremely high energy density of 560 watt hours per kilogram with remarkably good stability. For this purpose, researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), founded by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in cooperation with the University of Ulm, have used a promising combination of cathode and electrolyte: the nickel-rich cathode allows a lot of energy per mass to be stored, the ionic liquid electrolyte ensures that the capacity is largely retained over many charging cycles. The team reported on the record-breaking lithium metal battery in Joule magazine (DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.014).
Rekordverdächtige #Lithium-Metall-#Batterie. Nickelreiche Kathode und ionischer Flüssigelektrolyt ermöglichen extrem hohe #Energiedichte bei guter Stabilität – Forschende des @KITKarlsruhe und @HelmholtzUlm berichten im Magazin @Joule_CP
https://t.co/fM1pMChdJq— idw Nachrichten (@idw_online_de) August 12, 2021
Lithium-ion batteries are currently the most common solution for mobile power supply. However, the technology reaches its limits when it comes to certain requirements. This is especially true for electromobility, where light, compact vehicles with long ranges are in demand. Lithium metal batteries are an alternative: They are characterized by a high energy density, which means that they store a lot of energy per mass or volume. But their stability poses a challenge – because the electrode materials react with common electrolyte systems.
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Helmholtz Institute Ulm – Electrochemical Energy Storage (HIU) have now found a solution. As you report in Joule magazine, you are using a promising new combination of materials. They use a low-cobalt, nickel-rich layered cathode (NCM88). This offers a high energy density. With the commonly used commercially available organic electrolyte (LP30), however, the stability leaves a lot to be desired. The storage capacity decreases as the number of charging cycles increases. Why this is so, explains Professor Stefano Passerini, Director of the HIU and head of the battery electrochemistry research group: “In the LP30 electrolyte, particle cracks occur on the cathode. The electrolyte reacts within these cracks and destroys the structure. In addition, a thick, moss-like lithium-containing layer forms on the cathode. ”The researchers therefore used a non-volatile, non-flammable ionic liquid electrolyte with two anions (ILE) instead. “With the help of the ILE, the structural changes in the nickel-rich cathode can be significantly reduced,” reports Dr. Guk-Tae Kim from the Battery Electrochemistry Research Group at HIU.
88 percent capacity retained over 1,000 charge cycles
The results: With the cathode NCM88 and the electrolyte ILE, the lithium metal battery achieves an energy density of 560 watt hours per kilogram (Wh / kg). It initially has a storage capacity of 214 mAh per gram (mAh / g); 88 percent of the capacity is retained over 1,000 charging cycles. The Coulomb efficiency, which indicates the ratio between withdrawn and supplied capacity, averages 99.94 percent. Since the presented battery is also characterized by a high level of safety, the researchers from Karlsruhe and Ulm have thus taken an important step on the way to carbon-neutral mobility.
Original publication (Open Access)
Fanglin Wu, Shan Fang, Matthias Kuenzel, Angelo Mullaliu, Jae-Kwang Kim, Xinpei Gao, Thomas Diemant, Guk-Tae Kim, and Stefano Passerini: Dual-anion ionic liquid electrolyte enables stable Ni-rich cathodes in lithium-metal batteries. Joule. Cell Press, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.014
Further Information
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.014
https://www.kit.edu/kit/pi_2021_075_rekordverdachtige-lithium-metall-batterie.php