Tailored Electrolytes for Litihum Solid-State Batteries (MELLi)

Solid state batteries have the potential for broad application in the field of portable electronics and electromobility, as they promise to be more powerful than today's lithium-ion batteries. In MELLi, solid electrolytes with desired properties are being specifically developed to enable high-performance solid-state batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries are currently the dominant energy storage technology for portable electronics and electromobility. Unlike lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolyte, in solid-state batteries both the electrolyte and the separator consist of a solid material, the so-called solid electrolyte. Lithium ions are transported through this in one direction or the other during the charge/discharge process. The performance of solid-state batteries constructed in this way depends on the one hand on the material properties of the solid electrolyte, and on the other hand on the interaction of this with the electrode materials. However, considerable research efforts are still required for the commercial establishment of such a technology. This relates both to basic material development and to scalable manufacturing processes.
The focus of MELLi's planned research activities is the targeted development of novel ceramic solid electrolytes. On the one hand, these solid electrolytes must ensure the transport of lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes. On the other hand, they should be electrochemically stable (i.e. not decompose during battery operation) and mechanically flexible to maintain contact with the electrode materials. The goal of MELLi is to consider these material requirements in combination and thus specifically optimize the solid electrolytes to be developed. As described above, this relates to the (electro)chemical and mechanical material properties, whereby novel, scalable synthesis processes are also being developed.
In addition to the development of novel solid electrolytes and their implementation in solid state battery manufacturing, the characterization and understanding of the interfaces formed during battery operation is in the foreground. Interfacial layers are formed at the contact surfaces between solid electrolyte and electrode materials during battery operation. Such boundary layers form as a result of side reactions, and their composition and structure have a significant effect on battery performance and lifetime. Ideally, however, such an interfacial layer has a protective function, preventing further harmful side reactions at the interfaces. Therefore, an understanding of interface formation and its effects on battery performance is in the focus of MELLi. The knowledge thus gained with regard to newly developed solid electrolytes and their behavior in solid-state batteries will provide an important contribution to the research and targeted improvement of lithium solid-state batteries.

03/2022 – present Junior research group leader at Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – Tailored Electrolytes for Lithium Solid-State Batteries, Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

04/2020 – 02/2022 Liebig fellow at the Battery and Electrochemistry Laboratory (BELLA), Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) supported by a Liebig Fellowship (Fonds der Chemischen Industrie im Verband der Chemischen Industrie)

04/2017 – 03/2020 Postdoctoral fellow, Battery and Electrochemistry Laboratory (BELLA), Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

11/2013 – 12/2016 Co-shared PhD, Laboratory for Materials Chemistry, National Institute of Chemistry Slovenia and University of Ljubljana (Prof. Dr. Robert Dominko), Solid State Chemistry and Energy Laboratory, Collège de France and Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Paris (Prof. Dr. Jean-Marie Tarascon)

03/2011 – 08/2013 M.Sc. studies – Inorganic chemistry, Technical University of Munich (TUM)

10/2007 – 02/2011 B.Sc. studies – Chemistry, Technical University of Munich (TUM)

-  M.Sc. Jingui Yang (PhD candidate)

-  M.Sc. Jing Lin (PhD candidate)

-  M.Sc. Maik Schmitt (PhD candidate)

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