Battery Research
Battery Research
If you want to join the team or have more information on he specific topics, you can contact directly the responsibles for the proposals.
Of course, both German and English-Speakers are welcome!
Reaction of Polymer Electrolytes with Lithium metal
Hintergrund / Motivation:
Polymer electrolytes are a promising electrolyte class for solid state batteries. Reactions of polymer electrolytes with lithium metal play a critical role in development of reservoir free solid state batteries and their potential longivity.
Ziel / Aim:
Linking the properties of polymer electrolytes to the speed of lithium metal consumption after plating (see figure). By varying the parameters of polymer electrolytes (molecular weight, salt concentration, temperature, ...) you will investigate the reaction speed of polymer electrolytes with lithium metal by a novel electrochemical technique (CTTA).
Hinweise / Notes:
You will be preparing coin cells under inert conditions in a glovebox. Attention to detail and manual dexterity are advised. For an extended project, e.g. master thesis, there is also an opportunity to analyze the morphology of plated lithium and composition of the resulting reaction layer using surface analytical techniques.
Contact: Timo Weintraut, timo.weintraut; Prof. Dr. Anja Henss, anja.henss@pc.jlug.de
Electrode microstructure characterization by combining ToF-SIMS and Machine Learning
Motivation:
Electrodes in Li-Ion and Post-Li-Ion batteries are heavily influenced by their respective microstructure. Mapping the spatial distribution of degradation products within the microstructure offers a unique insight into the degradation mechanism of composite electrode materials, paving the way for optimizing the performance.
Aim:
Extending the methodology developed in the shown paper above:
The aim of this project is to reconstruct the 3D microstructure of electrodes using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and GANs (General advisory networks) on large 2D ToF-SIMS images. The reconstructed microstructures will then be subject to digital characterization and finite element analysis to simulate the influence of degradation on key performance parameters such as conductivity and overpotential.
Notes:
Depending on the preference, the project can be focused on the data science/simulation part or the experimental part such as performing the ToF-SIMS measurements and building the corresponding solid-state-battery cells. Either way you should be enthusiastic about software, large datasets and surface analytics.
Contact: Alexander Weiß, alexander.weiss; Prof. Dr. Anja Henss, anja.henss@pc.jlug.de
Na-S solid state batteries
Motivation:
Na-S solid-state batteries are one of the most promising alternatives to Li-ion batteries. However, their development is still at an early stage and the design of well-functioning electrodes has a critical role. A potential solution to improve their performances includes the use of metal sulfides (e.g. iron disulfide FeS2) as active material in the cathode.
Aim:
The object is to experimentally investigate FeS2 based cathodes in Na-S solid state battery. For this purpose, battery cells will be built and characterized with both electrochemical and analytical methods.
Notes:
You should enjoy working in the laboratory, have initiative and enjoy learning new topics and techniques. You should be interested in physical chemistry and research in the field of advanced material for sustainable energy applications. We offer you an stimulating project in an active and international working group in which you can develop your skills.
Contact: Matilde Pavan, matilde.pavan; Prof. Dr. Anja Henss, anja.henss@pc.jlug.de
