Distinguished Lectures at HZB: Prof. Jürgen Janek will give talk about the Materials Research for "Next Generation" Batteries
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek, Universität Gießen
The search for new and the development of improved electrochemical energy storage systems stimulates world-wide research efforts in both academia and industry. While impressive improvements and cost reductions are still to be expected for lithium ionbatteries (LIB) and are part of enormous industrial efforts, more fundamental research aims for the creation and understanding of completely new cell types.
In order to provide an up-to-date overview on recent developments, the current status of LIB will be briefly reviewed, before major trends in the study of new cell types will be discussed. Essentially, three types of potential "next generation"; batteries will be considered in more detail: (a) alkali metal/ sulfur batteries (e.g. Li/S8), (b) alkali metal/oxygen batteries (e. g. Li/O2) and (c) solid state batteries (SSB).
The lecture will focus on major materials challenges on the one hand and to mechanistic questions from the physicochemical point of view on the other hand. The lecture will help to better judge a dynamic research field by evaluating the true chances and risks of new cell types.
23.02.2015 16:00 o clock
Lecture Hall at Lise-Meitner-Campus, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin
Please note that for entering HZB premises a valid ID card/passport is required.
- Battery research: visualisation of aging processes operandoLithium button cells with electrodes made of nickel-manganese-cobalt oxides (NMC) are very powerful. Unfortunately, their capacity decreases over time. Now, for the first time, a team has used a non-destructive method to observe how the elemental composition of the individual layers in a button cell changes during charging cycles. The study, now published in the journal Small, involved teams from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the University of Münster, researchers from the SyncLab research group at HZB and the BLiX laboratory at the Technical University of Berlin. Measurements were carried out in the BLiX laboratory and at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source.
- New instrument at BESSY II: The OÆSE endstation in EMILA new instrument is now available at BESSY II for investigating catalyst materials, battery electrodes and other energy devices under operating conditions: the Operando Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy on EMIL (OÆSE) endstation in the Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory Berlin (EMIL). A team led by Raul Garcia-Diez and Marcus Bär showcases the instrument’s capabilities via a proof-of-concept study on electrodeposited copper.
- Green hydrogen: A cage structured material transforms into a performant catalystClathrates are characterised by a complex cage structure that provides space for guest ions too. Now, for the first time, a team has investigated the suitability of clathrates as catalysts for electrolytic hydrogen production with impressive results: the clathrate sample was even more efficient and robust than currently used nickel-based catalysts. They also found a reason for this enhanced performance. Measurements at BESSY II showed that the clathrates undergo structural changes during the catalytic reaction: the three-dimensional cage structure decays into ultra-thin nanosheets that allow maximum contact with active catalytic centres. The study has been published in the journal ‘Angewandte Chemie’.