Solid-state batteries with lithium metal and polymer protective coatings (FLiPS)
The FLiPS project uses polymers and reagents as protective layers in solid-state batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes. The development of these protective layers aims to improve the manufacturing, stability, and performance of the batteries.
My motivation stems from the vision that we can meet our future energy needs with renewable energy sources. A key challenge with renewable energies is that their generation cannot be precisely aligned with consumer demand. Therefore, energy storage plays a crucial role, as it can be charged and discharged depending on whether energy supply or demand is currently higher. The liquid lithium-ion battery is currently the best technology for mobile applications, allowing for the storage of electrical power with minimal losses and its retrieval at any time. This enables us to use many portable electronic devices on a daily basis, and lithium-ion batteries are also used in stationary energy storage systems. They will most likely become indispensable for electric mobility and the energy transition.
Solid-state batteries promise a further leap forward in the development of electrochemical energy storage. This is especially true when lithium metal is used as the negative electrode, as it is the anode material with the highest energy density. My overall goal within the FLiPS project is to lay the foundation for developing a prototype of a safer and more efficient alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The high conductivity of inorganic solid electrolytes is particularly important in the cathode composite, but the transfer of lithium ions at the interfaces to the active materials is still too slow. Here, the polymers will act as intermediate layers, maintaining the contacts chemically and mechanically and enabling rapid lithium-ion transfer. Only if the internal resistance of the cells is and remains low can high-performance solid-state batteries be established