SPP 1473: Materials with New Design for Improved Lithium Ion Batteries (WeNDeLIB)

Basic data for this project

Description

Lithium ion batteries are successfully used as powerful energy systems in laptops, cell phones and devices of consumer electronics. However to accomplish the technical requirements for modern hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, bigger and more powerful rechargeable lithium ion batteries are necessary. The introduction of this technology as an affordable mass product for mobile applications requires further improvements of energy and power density, voltage capacities, cyclability and lifetime as well as save system operation. Particularly the used battery materials and their structure deeply influence the performance of a battery. Above all, the energetic and reactivity of the materials have to be raised to a higher level for best technical performance. This requires a completely new structural materials design for all battery components and moreover investigation of the interaction of all these components in the integrated battery system. In the Priority Programme, during the next six years, the relationships of the structures of new battery materials, their thermodynamics and electrochemistry will be investigated. More than thirty research groups at universities and non-university institutions in Germany and Austria are collaborating in a coordinated and interdisciplinary way. The scientific aims of this Priority Programme are: (1) scientific research and providing new active materials for lithium ion batteries of next generation with improved energy and power densities, capacities, cyclability, life time and safety; (2) thermodynamic-kinetic modelling and experimental investigation of heterogenous reactions and phase transformation of active materials relevant for battery performance; (3) correlation of materials characteristics with electrochemical, thermodynamic and kinetic properties; (4) analysis and simulation of reactions of active materials with the electrolyte; (5) aimed improvement of the energetic and thermodynamic stability of the system “lithium ion battery” by chemical and materials design.