Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Electrochemical Energy Storage and Material Design

The research of the chair for chemistry of materials for energy applications is driven by the current scientific and technological challenges and revolves around the interactions of nanostructured materials with small molecules towards their use in the fields of energy storage and conversion. The offered position is located within the project “USE-G”, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). The objective of USE-G is to develop a circular economy for graphite materials for the European battery industry. The processing of graphite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries is to be economically optimized and alternative raw material sources are to be included in graphite processing. To achieve this goal, an alternative method to washing with hydrofluoric acid is being developed for graphite cleaning from the recycling process and the mines on the basis of chlorine gas treatments at the lowest possible temperatures. An important aim of this work is to understand and evaluate in detail the influence of different levels of residual impurities in graphite on the electrochemical properties. Furthermore, the biopolymer lignin is used as a substitute for petroleum-based coating materials for graphite. Electrochemical measurements are implemented to gain insights on the impact of residual impurities in graphite and determine differences between recycled graphite and graphite from the mines. Within this industry-oriented project you will collaborate and exchange closely with leading companies in the field of carbon-based battery materials and contribute to the transition towards an ecological and economical graphite production in Europe.