How can we build the batteries of the future?

But rising Coronavirus incidences and young people coming together from all over Baden-Württemberg is not a good combination, which is why the Elite Academcy for Chemistry and Materials Science met online at the end of November as part of the School for Talents. More than one hundred university and school students took part in the workshop "How can we build the battery of the future?" Professor Oliver Clemens from the Department of Chemical Materials Synthesis at the Institute for Materials Science was particularly pleased that so many participants turned on their cameras so that he didn't have to talk to rows of "gray squares".

The workshop addressed the issue of how to solve future energy storage problems. There are two options for this: using less energy, which many people cannot even imagine, or energy storage. This will become increasingly important with the transition to electromobility, but also for the efficient use of photovoltaic and wind energy systems. 

Professor Clemens explained how batteries and accumulators work and the participants were then asked to consider which combinations of elements release a lot of energy in a chemical reaction. Both the university students and school students offered a wealth of interesting suggestions. In the end, they decided to take a closer look at combining cesium with fluorine. Clemens used videos to demonstrate the energy released during a reaction between these elements. The participants quickly realized that manageability is just as important as the availability of the elements.

Clemens asked the participants what requirements they would place on a battery for an electric car. Durability, temperature stability, a long service life, fast recharging capabilities, compactness, good recyclability and economic aspects were just a few of the points mentioned. It was almost impossible to keep up with the chat messages because of the speed with which the answers were delivered. Together, the participants considered what might be a suitable material for electrodes, or what requirements should be placed on a good electrolyte. It quickly became clear just how many things must be considered when a battery is to be improved or newly developed.

After the workshop, Professor Clemens remained on-hand to answer numerous questions from the participants. "I've never had such great active involvement in a workshop like this, either in an onsite workshop or online," concluded Clemens. In a virtual get-together with randomly selected subgroups, the participants were able to get to know each other better and exchange ideas.

In the coming months, the Elite Academy for Chemistry and Materials Science [de] will continue to offer talented individuals an exciting and challenging program, which will aid the development of their scientific skills and offer insight into current research topics.

Reference reading: article about the launch event  "School for Talents: The elite academy for chemistry and material science begins with a "full lecture hall”"( October 29, 2021)

The Elite Academy for Chemistry and Materials Science is organized by the School for Talents at the University of Stuttgart, which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.