Ongoing Projects in Battery Research
In the HysKaDi project, next-generation active materials such as silicon for the anode and lithium- and manganese-rich NCMs for the cathode are investigated. These active materials exhibit significant hysteresis at rest potential during cycling in the battery cell, resulting in reduced efficiency and higher thermal load. These phenomena are investigated by calorimetry. In addition, silicon-based anodes show a significant volume expansion during charging, which is analyzed by dilatometry. The aim of the project is to use the generated knowledge to determine the operating limits for an optimized lifetime of cells of this generation. Based on this, the design of a heat management system and the mechanical fixation of the cell will be optimized.
Project Framework: BMBF Competence Cluster for Analytics/Quality Assurance (Aqua)
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Total funding volume 1.2 Mio €
Duration: November 01, 2020 – October 31, 2023
Partner:
- Lehrstuhl für Elektrische Energiesysteme an der Universität Bayreuth (UBT-EES)
- Akkumulatoren Materialforschung am Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Ulm (ZSW-ECM)
Contact: Clara Berg
AQua – PoP: Development of In-Situ and Operando methods
The project goal of AQua-PoP is the development of (mainly spectroscopic) in-situ and operando methods for material chemical and electrochemical characterization and analysis in order to gain a fundamental understanding of commercial and future anode and cathode active materials for lithium ion batteries.
Project Framework: BMBF Competence Cluster for Analytics/Quality Assurance (Aqua)
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Total funding volume 1.2 Mio €
Duration: November 01, 2020 – October 31, 2023
Partner:
- Physikalisch Chemisches Institut & Zentrum für Materialforschung der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
- Gemeinschaftslabor für Elektronenmikroskopie (GFE) der RWTH Aachen und Ernst Ruska-Centrum für Mikroskopie und Spektroskopie mit Elektronen (ER-C 2) des Forschungszentrums Jülich
Contact: Rebecca Wilhelm
AQua – OperaXX: Clarification of the aging mechanisms of novel cathode active materials via operando XAS/XES
The continuous improvement of performance combined with long life and high safety of batteries requires competences in analysis and quality assurance. The aim of the AQua competence cluster is the joint development of methods, strategies and standards. The subproject AQua OperaXX focuses on the use of operando XAS measurement to characterize the cycle stability and the potential-dependent resolution of the cathode.
Project Framework: BMBF Competence Cluster for Analytics/Quality Assurance (Aqua)
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Total funding volume 1.2 Mio €
Duration: November 01, 2020 – October 31, 2023
Partner:
- Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy/Dept. Interface Design, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marcus Bär
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (UOL), Institut für Physik, Prof. Dr. Caterina Cocchi
Contact: Leon Reinschlüssel
BASF Battery Network
Our long-term collaboration for over 10 years with the world’s largest chemical producer BASF SE focuses on the synthesis and the improvement of cathode active materials. The project is realized by combining the knowledge and expertise from industry and our research group. The BASF team at TUM synthesizes and works on the two most promising future cathode active materials: Ni-rich and Mn-rich materials. The one offering increased energy density and superior rate performance while the other one being low-cost and still offering compatible properties. Unfortunately, each material suffers from a unique set of intrinsic issues which we are trying to understand and ultimately to eliminate. Post-treatment of the materials ranging from washing steps to high temperature gas-treatments are used to stabilize these materials.
Duration: January 01, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Partner:
- Prof. Jürgen Janek, BELLA-KIT
- Prof. Linda Nazar, University of Waterloo
- Doron Aurbach, Bar-Ilan University
- Prof. Yang-Kook Sun, Hangyang University
- Weidong Zhou, Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- William Chueh, Stanford University
- Karsten Able, TU Darmstadt
- BASF SE
Contact: Tim Kipfer
Cell Chemistry Based on Silicon Anode and Ni-rich Oxide Cathodes
– Facilitation by Additives and Electrolyte Optimization (CAESAR)
The CAESAR project focuses on the increase in specific energy (Wh/kg) and energy density (Wh/L) of battery systems consisting of a microscale silicon-based anode paired with a nickel-rich NCM cathode. The combination of both high-capacity anode and cathode material is characterized and subsequently optimized via, e.g., carbon coatings, electrolyte formulations, and pre-lithiation, together with partners from TUM and industry.
Project Framework: Research funding from the BMWK within the 7th Energy Research Program
Duration: 06/2021-05/2024
Partner:
- ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG
- BASF SE
- E-Lyte Innovations GmbH
- Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, TUM (FRM II)
- Lehrstuhl für Elektrische Energiespeicher, TUM (EES)
- Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Betriebswissenschaften, TUM (iwb)
- VARTA Microbattery GmbH
- Wacker Chemie AG
Contact: Jonas Dickmanns
Evaluation of high performance Li-Ion Silicon-dominant Anodes (ELSA)
The ELSA project focuses on investigating the performance, durability, and rate capability of Si/C composite based anodes, as well as elucidating cross-talk phenomena with Ni-rich cathode active materials (CAMs). Optimized setups on a cell level are envisioned to be employed in automotive applications.
Duration: 08/2023 – 07/2026
Partner: Cellforce Group GmbH
BASF
Group14 Technologies
Contact: Michael Geserer
Center of Excellence for Battery Cells at the Technical University of Munich
ExZellTUM III focuses on material, chemical and electrochemical characterization and analysis as well as modelling of anode and cathode materials for next-generation lithium-ion cells
Project frame: BMBF Competence Cluster for Battery Materials (ExcellBattMat)
Duration: 11/2019-10/2022 (extended until 10/2023)
Further TUM partners: Institute for Electrical Energy Storage Technology (EES), Institute of Machine Tools and Industrial Management (iwb), Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRMII-TUM)
Contact: Philip Rapp
Fundamentals of Energy Conversion Processes
e-conversion is a Cluster of Excellence funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany‘s Excellence Strategy since January 2019. The e-conversion Cluster of Excellence is exploring ways to deliver a stable, efficient and sustainable supply of energy by combining nanoscience with energy sciences. This cluster focuses on the energy conversion processes of different technologies – from photovoltaics through (photo-)electrocatalysis to battery technologies.
Funding: A DFG Cluster of Excellence (EXC 2089/1 – 390776260)
Contact: Simon Qian
TUMint Energy Research - Industrialisability of solid state electrolyte cells
In this interdisciplinary project scientists from many fields like physics, (electro-)chemistry and in the further course also material science, process and production technology work together on the development and production of all-solid-state batteries. This is a long term project and is implemented in several steps. The first step, i.e., investigations on material synthesis and characterization of selected material classes, is already in progress.
In the medium and long term, solid-state battery systems be developed, optimized and tested in a pouch cell configuration.
Funding: Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy
Further TUM-Partner:
- Chair of Inorganic Chemistry with Focus on Novel Materials (Prof. Fässler)
- Chair of Energy Conversion and Storage (Prof. Bandarenka)
Duration: March 01, 2018 – December 31, 2024
Contact: Tobias Kutsch