Academic Research

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources requires economic and sustainable electrochemical energy storage solutions with high energy and power density. A promising approach is anode-free cells with alkali-metal anodes and solid electrolytes. Such cells can be more lightweight, compact and economical than state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. An important challenge in alkali-metal anodes is the effective management of the alkali metal. This includes complete storage and release of the alkali metal within the anode compartment during cell cycling, handling of the volumetric changes within the anode, as well as ensuring good electrical contact between the alkali metal and the solid electrolyte. Effective alkali-metal management enables high cycling stability and efficient use of the entire active material at low overpotentials and low operating temperatures. To date, the fundamental wetting and phase change interactions of alkali metals under battery-relevant conditions are not sufficiently understood to inform the design of coatings and capillary structures for effective alkali-metal management. Therefore, in this project, we want to lay these important foundations in the area of interfacial phenomena so that in the next step, we can build on them to develop functional coatings and structures to be integrated into next-generation anode designs that enable high-performance batteries.

Advanced undergraduate students (from third year) 
Master's students 
Ph.D. students 

The most important requirement is a high degree of motivation combined with a high commitment to the research. This should be combined with good communication skills in English. On this basis, all necessary skills can be learned due to the close mentorship and support we provide at GER.

No specific preparation is required. We can meet to discuss potential literature the student could read before the project.