Electrical energy storage: BAM, HZB, and HU Berlin plan joint Berlin Battery Lab
Signing of the MoU to establish the Berlin Battery Lab on May 7th 2025: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne, President of Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Prof. Dr. Christoph Schneider, Vice President for Research at Humboldt-Universität, Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), and Thomas Frederking, Executive Director Finance and Administration of HZB (from left to right). © Uta Sommer / HU
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), and Humboldt University of Berlin (HU Berlin) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Berlin Battery Lab. The lab will pool the expertise of the three institutions to advance the development of sustainable battery technologies. The joint research infrastructure will also be open to industry for pioneering projects in this field.
Berlin has established itself as an important location for research into sodium-ion batteries and lithium-sulfur batteries. The city offers concentrated expertise in these areas, supported by numerous research projects and high-profile research groups.
Strengths of the consortium
The Berlin Battery Lab (BBL) will combine the strengths of the three partner institutions: BAM has internationally recognized expertise in battery safety and electrochemical energy materials. HU Berlin is a leader in Germany in academic research on sodium-ion batteries. HZB is particularly active in research on lithium-sulfur batteries.
Goals and advantages of the Berlin Battery Lab
The laboratory aims to accelerate the transfer of material developments into marketable products. In the field of basic research, material development ties in with the battery activities of the HZB large-scale research facility BESSY II. The BBL activities culminate in the production of demonstrator cells and thus form an interface with safety and application tests. The collaboration between basic research, applied research, and certification enables a faster transition from research to industrial application. This is particularly important in an increasingly protectionist trading world, where the availability of sustainable raw materials and thus the secure production of batteries are crucial, even in times of crisis.
Industry partnerships and future developments
The Berlin Battery Lab is open to industry partners from all over Germany and Europe and serves to promote the development and production of locally manufactured sustainable batteries. Existing partnerships, such as with BASF, will be further expanded. In addition, physical laboratories are planned in Berlin to support research and development on site.
BAM President Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne: “The planned establishment of the Berlin Battery Lab is a significant step for sustainable battery research in Germany. Through close cooperation with the Helmholtz Center Berlin and Humboldt University, we are pooling our expertise and creating a unique research infrastructure. This will enable us to bring innovative and sustainable battery technologies to market more quickly and thus make an important contribution to the energy transition. We look forward to working with our partners and industry to realize groundbreaking projects and further strengthen Berlin as a leading location for battery research.”
Prof. Dr. Christoph Schneider, Vice President for Research at HU: “With the Berlin Battery Lab, we are building a bridge between excellent basic research and marketable, innovative technologies. We will jointly advance the development of sustainable sodium and sulphur batteries with the combined expertise of HZB, BAM and HU - and thus make an important contribution to successfully shaping the energy transition.”
Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of HZB: “We have been cooperating with Humboldt University and BAM in the field of battery research for many years. We will now be able to significantly expand this cooperation. At the X-ray source BESSY II, which is operated by HZB, complete battery cells can be analysed in situ and during discharging and charging, i.e. operando. This gives us insight into the processes that lead to a gradual loss of capacity. By setting up a new pouch cell laboratory for sodium-ion batteries at HZB, we aim to strengthen materials research for batteries in Berlin and establish further collaborations with industry.”
Outlook
The establishment of the Berlin Battery Lab is an important step toward strengthening battery research in Berlin and promoting sustainable energy solutions. The collaboration between BAM, HZB, and HU Berlin will further increase Berlin's visibility and excellence in this important field of research and, last but not least, serve to train skilled workers in this important industry.
- Susanne Nies appointed to EU advisory group on Green DealDr. Susanne Nies heads the Green Deal Ukraina project at HZB, which aims to support the development of a sustainable energy system in Ukraine. The energy expert has now also been appointed to the European Commission's scientific advisory group to comment on regulatory burdens in connection with the net-zero target (DG GROW).
- The future of corals – what X-rays can tell usThis summer, it was all over the media. Driven by the climate crisis, the oceans have now also passed a critical point, the absorption of CO2 is making the oceans increasingly acidic. The shells of certain sea snails are already showing the first signs of damage. But also the skeleton structures of coral reefs are deteriorating in more acidic conditions. This is especially concerning given that corals are already suffering from marine heatwaves and pollution, which are leading to bleaching and finally to the death of entire reefs worldwide. But how exactly does ocean acidification affect reef structures?
Prof. Dr. Tali Mass, a marine biologist from the University of Haifa, Israel, is an expert on stony corals. Together with Prof. Dr. Paul Zaslansky, X-ray imaging expert from Charité Berlin, she investigated at BESSY II the skeleton formation in baby corals, raised under different pH conditions. Antonia Rötger spoke online with the two experts about the results of their recent study and the future of coral reefs.
- Long-term stability for perovskite solar cells: a big step forwardPerovskite solar cells are inexpensive to produce and generate a high amount of electric power per surface area. However, they are not yet stable enough, losing efficiency more rapidly than the silicon market standard. Now, an international team led by Prof. Dr. Antonio Abate has dramatically increased their stability by applying a novel coating to the interface between the surface of the perovskite and the top contact layer. This has even boosted efficiency to almost 27%, which represents the state-of-the-art. After 1,200 hours of continuous operation under standard illumination, no decrease in efficiency was observed. The study involved research teams from China, Italy, Switzerland and Germany and has been published in Nature Photonics.