Research on next generation batteries

The high energy density of Li-ion batteries has enabled the introduction of portable electronics in our daily lives, the development of electrical vehicles and is expected to be a critical technology for lifting the intermittency of renewable energy sources. Li-ion transport and local structural changes in electrode and electrolyte materials are decisive for the battery performance. However these processes are often hard to monitor on a microscopic level under realistic operando conditions. In this presentation some of the key challenges of next generation batteries, including solid state batteries and Li-O2 batteries, are brought forward along with the use of operando neutron and X-ray techniques as well as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to gain more insight in the fundamental processes.