Magnesium Batteries

Magnesium batteries are, in theory, more favorable concerning capacity, safety, and costs compared to lithium batteries. Before possibly replacing the latter, however, significant challenges have to be resolved first. For example, the bivalency of magnesium (a main advantage which effects higher energy density compared to lithium batteries) leads to more complicated processes in electrolyte solution and in host-guest materials like intercalation electrodes. Even more problematically, the formation of an interfacial layer between electrolyte and metal anode from decomposition products or impurities, often advantageous in lithium batteries, results in failure of magnesium batteries.

Because of these and other drawbacks, there is still a lot of research to be done before magnesium batteries can be commercialized. Key challenges include the development of new powerful cathode materials and electrochemically stable and ion conductive electrolyte-solvent systems. We consider both as interconnected aspects for the development of next generation batteries. These batteries, due to higher power, safety, and better usability, might help to improve today’s fundamental technologies like mobile data usage and electromobility.

In our lab, we develop new electrolyte-solvent systems (organic and inorganic chemistry) by learning about interactions between electrolyte, solvent, and electrodes (analytical chemistry and coordination chemistry) and evaluating electrochemical characteristics (electrochemistry). One of our approaches is to develop and investigate suitable ionic liquids. In detail understanding all the process steps is our main goal in order to make a contribution to real applications, not only lab condition experiments.