Batteries are a key component of the energy and transport transition and can make an important contribution to the transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable society. While their use in portable applications such as notebooks and smartphones has already largely permeated our daily lives, continuous improvements in energy density, reliability and cost are opening up new fields of application. In particular, electromobility and the use in stationary energy storage are rapidly gaining importance.
The smallest unit of a battery system is the battery cell. This is where the electrochemical reactions take place, which determine the battery’s ability to store and release energy. This unit is the focus of the scientists of the Department of Battery Technology of the Department of Electrochemical Energy Technology at the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics. The function of the cell is based on a complex interplay of electrochemical and physical processes as well as different transport processes. To better understand these processes and understand how they determine the performance and longevity of the cell is the overarching objective of the research within the group.
Within the scope of collaborations and interdisciplinary projects with other institutes and departments, DLR covers the entire spectrum of battery research, from the basics and processes at the nanoscopic level to the development of battery packs and their integration into applications for use in transport, aerospace systems. The experimental work of the department forms the interface between fundamental research and the transfer of knowledge to the system level and into application. Intensive cooperation on these topics exists above all with energy system integration and computer-assisted electrochemistry at the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics.
-> Methodological development
-> Lithium-ion batteries
-> Post Lithium-Ion Batteries