Four Million Euros for battery research

Zebra battery As part of the BMBF-project ExZellTUM, at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) innovative battery materials for future electric cars will be investigated by neutrons.

As part of the BMBF-project ExZellTUM, at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) innovative battery materials for future electric cars will be investigated by neutrons.

The Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) is partner of the new center of excellence for battery cells at the Technical University of Munich (ExZellTUM). Scientists and companies work together with the aim of investigating and improving the production of lithium-ion cells as energy storage units for electric cars. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project over the next three years with a total of 4.3 Million Euros.

The scientists at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) are experienced in investigating battery systems. By using neutrons, the chemical changes inside a battery can in detail be observed during loading and unloading. “Neutron scattering is ideally suited to investigate complex lithium-based systems, because the neutrons can non-destructively penetrate matter very deeply and the elements in compounds can be easily localized in situ,” says Dr. habil. Ralph Gilles, project coordinator at the Research Neutron Source in Garching. Findings can be directly incorporated into the further optimization of battery cells.

Putting sustainable individual mobility on the road is one of the major challenges of our society. By the year 2020, there shall be one million electric cars on Germany’s roads. But current high-performance energy storage units based on lithium-ion technology are not yet ready for start of production. The interdisciplinary network of ExZellTUM will therefore contribute to the further development and manufacture of lithium-ion batteries.

The Department for Electrical Energy Storage Technology, the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management, the Department of Technical Electrochemistry and the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich bundle their knowledge and experience in this project. Other partners from industry and science are the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology, BMW AG, Manz Tübingen GmbH, Dr. Schenk GmbH and TÜV Süd Battery Testing GmbH.