Advanced Battery Research for a Future with Sustainable Energy, Mobility, and Water

"Advanced Battery Research for a Future with Sustainable Energy, Mobility, and Water" We research high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIB), develop long-lived lithium metal batteries (LMB) and create revolutionary devices for energy-efficient water desalination, so-called "desalination batteries" (DSB) in order to fulfill our group's mission to bring us closer to a future with sustainable energy, mobility, and water. Advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIB) - The mass market adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is mostly hindered by the battery pack cost, which today still makes for ~50% of the BEV cost. To bring down battery cost we will use lower cost materials, raise the cell energy by charging to higher voltages, and extend battery lifetime. Specifically, we will construct the world's first multi-channel on-line electrochemical mass spectrometer (multi-OEMS) for real-time quantification of gases generated in battery cells. We will employ this unique tool to accurately quantify - for the first time - the gas release of novel Co-free cathodes, which prevents their use in commercial cells. Lithium metal batteries (LMB) - The lithium metal anode receives considerable attention from industry as a technology to increase the energy density of rechargeable batteries by ~50%. Employing polymer or ceramic electrolytes in combination with a lithium metal anode in so-called "all-solid-state batteries" is hindered by manufacturability and cost. We pursue an alternative route towards safe, high-energy LMBs: The combination of advanced liquid electrolytes with anode-free cells that require no excess lithium since all lithium is stored in the cathode material at beginning of life. This "high risk, high reward" research problem can lead to a breakthrough in battery energy density for ultra-long range BEVs, electric trucks and aircraft. Desalination batteries (DSB) - There is currently no energy-efficient desalination technology to fight the growing problem of freshwater scarcity. In our lab we combine battery knowhow with a keen interest in environmental topics, so we will demonstrate that intercalation of salt ions into crystalline host structures - a concept well known from the lithium-ion battery field, but new in water desalination - can be a groundbreaking technology for freshwater production. This "battery desalination" approach can achieve more than 3x higher capacity for salt removal than established capacitive deionization, much like a lithium-ion battery that can store a lot more energy than a capacitor. This research will allow highly qualified personnel to enter the important water purity industrial sector. Our focus on advanced battery research inherently lends itself to interdisciplinary research and welcomes students from all backgrounds and gender. Our three topic areas (LIB, LMB, and DSB) all demand excellence in electrochemistry, but in turn offer solutions to three distinct societal challenges: clean energy, mobility and water.