Welcome to IAM-MMS

POLiS

Post-lithium batteries are the next frontier in energy storage technology, aiming to overcome the limitations of current lithium-ion batteries in terms of energy density, cost, safety, and environmental impact across various applications, from portable electronics to electric vehicles and grid storage. However, significant research and development are still needed to overcome technical challenges and bring these technologies to commercial viability. As part of the Cluster of Excellence, POLiS, our group is doing research on improved electrode materials and battery design with computational methods such as simulation, machine learning and research data management.

Anastasia August won 1st place at the Science Slam in Weingarten on 13.04.2024. With an impressive 195 out of 200 points, she prevailed against strong competition. The award recognizes her captivating presentation in this unique format of science communication. Congratulations!

In this publication, we consider a droplet depositing on a solid surface. By addressing the thermodynamic equilibrium of liquid-solid-gas phases, we derive a generalized Young's law and reveal an alternative physical mechanism for contact angle hysteresis. The key point for the present finding is the partial penetration of the liquid species into the solid phase at the micro-scale.

Simon Daubner, KIT

What factors determine how quickly a battery can be charged? Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are investigating this and other questions using computer-aided simulations. Microstructure models are helping to discover and investigate new electrode materials. For sodium-nickel-manganese oxide as a cathode material in sodium-ion batteries, the simulations show changes in the crystal structure during the charging process. These lead to elastic deformation, which causes the capacity to shrink. The researchers report their findings in the journal npj Computational Materials.

IAM-MMS

We are happy to announce the joint conference of the 10th GAMM Workshop on phase-field modeling and the workshop "Materials/Microstructure modeling: Analytics & Benchmarks", a joint meeting of the working group "Phase Field Modeling" of the expert committee "Materials Modeling, Simulation and Data" of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde e.V. (DGM) and the MaTeLiS Focus Field "Virtual Materials Design and Digitalization" at the KIT. This event provides an inspiring platform for scientists to present the latest findings and advances in materials and microstructure modeling in the context of the phase-field method. Further information can be found here.