Electrochemical Energy Systems | Junior Research Group

Dr. Matthias Breitwieser, Dr. Severin Vierrath

Open positions | Competence | Latest Developments | Projects and Sponsors | Team | Latest Publications | Awards

Open positions

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Competence

The junior research group “Electrochemical Energy Systems” develops novel fuel cells, batteries and electrolysers. Our focus is on innovative manufacturing methods and materials, as well as micro-characterization and 3D imaging processes for these technologies.

Manufacturing and characterization

We develop new manufacturing methods and alternative materials for electrochemical energy applications: fuel cells and electrolysis cells and redox flow batteries. With new membrane systems, we are increasing the power density and durability. Furthermore, we develop new electrode structures that enable higher power densities. Methods such as electrospinning, spray coating and scalable coating processes are available in the group for this purpose. We characterize new materials and manufacturing methods electrochemically in fuel cell, electrolysis and battery test stands, as well as ex-situ in our microanalysis laboratory (µXRF, Xe-Plasma FIB / SEM, Raman microscopy, …).

We cover the entire value chain from catalyst and membrane production, ink and MEA production as well as electrochemical and microscopic analysis.

Latest developments in the group

Increased electrolysis performance with a low catalyst content

Iridium oxide is a particularly rare and expensive catalyst material that has so far been indispensable for water electrolysis. Therefore, the reduction in iridium oxide loading is very important for the commercialization of hydrogen production via electrolysis. We have made significant advances in the manufacture of electrolysis membrane electrode assemblies:
By introducing iridium oxide nanofibers, the electrical transverse conductivity of the catalyst layers could be significantly improved leading to one of the highest efficiencies with low IrOx loading.
(https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsaem.0c00735 )

The technology received the F-Cell Award in 2019 and a patent has been submitted. (https://f-cell.de/award/ )

Manufacture of fluorine-free fuel and electrolysis cells

Commercially available fuel and electrolysis cells today contain fluorine-based polymers, so-called perfluorinated sulfonic acids. With alternative materials based on polysulfones and polyphenylenes, we were able to take a major step towards fluorine-free cells with comparable performance:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aenm.201903995

Reconstruction of electrodes to simulate transport properties

With an infiltration method developed in our group via atomic layer deposition, we are able to produce reliable 3D reconstructions of the nanostructure of fuel cell, battery or electrolysis electrodes. With our extensive software equipment and expertise, we are able to assess the substance transport in these electrodes quantitatively. The methodology has now been transferred to fuel cells, electrolysis cells or Li-ion batteries.

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378775318304385
• http://jes.ecsdl.org/content/166/13/F956.full.pdf+html?sid=82214798-4684-4f41-96aa-cc7fdca90949
   

Projects and sponsors

Current research projects

• Fe-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as Photocatalysts for Energy and Environmental Applications,
  Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
• Camelot, EU Horizon 2020
• CO₂-to-X, Vector Stiftung
• Plug-In, BMBF
• FC-CAT, BMBF
• NeutroSense, BMBF
• AlkaCell, Vector-Stiftung
• PSU-MEA-III, BMBF
• FlexCoat, BMBF

Past projects

• Dekade, BMBF
• DirectMEA, Ministry of Economics Baden-Wurttemberg
• Inspire, EU Horizon 2020
• Neurofast, BMBF

Team

Head

• Dr. Matthias Breitwieser
• Dr. Severin Vierrath
• Dr. Melanie Bühler, Applications
• Dr. Carolin Klose, Fundamentals

Scientific staff

• Dr. habil. Klaus-Dieter Kreuer
• Dr. Florian Lombeck

• Esther Oberbremer
• Leonhard Probst
• Claudia Schwarz
• Dr. Giorgi Titvinidze
• Frieder Junginger
• Dr. Marco Viviani
• Clara Schare
• Farmal Khan
• Jakob Salewsky
• Niklas van Treel
• Dilara Sultanova

PostDoc

• Dr. Naghmeh Mirbagheri
• Dr. Lukas Metzler
• Dr. Andreas Münchinger

PhD Candidate

• Joey Disch
• Philipp Heizmann
• Susanne Koch
• Hien Nguyen
• Edgar Cruz Ortiz
• Khaled Seteiz
• Koray Yildirim
• Christian Piesold
• Mohamed El Shamy
• Miriam von Holst
• Julian Stiegeler
• Fiona Pescher

Master student, Bachelor student, Student assistant

• Souaad Saoud
• Hassan Fadlullah
• Neda Khalili Sabet
• Andreas Fischbach
• Simon Hammer
• Stefan Ingenhoven
• Xaver Kolb
• Sophia Kilian
• Arberi Salihi

Past member

• Arne Götze
• Zsoltan Danilo
• Dr. Lukas Zielke
• Armin Hartmann
• Kevin Holdcroft
• Michaela Frase

• Dr. Lili Liu
• Dr. Matthias Klingele
• Peter Holzapfel
• Dr. Witali Beichel
• Dr. Friedemann Hegge
• Dr. Van Chuyen Pham
• Riko Moroni
• Mohammad Solihul Mumin
• Philipp Veh
• Brian Shanahan

Latest Publications

Electrolysis

• Hegge, F., Lombeck, F., Cruz Ortiz, E., Bohn, L., von Holst, M., Kroschel, M., ... & Vierrath, S. (2020). Efficient and Stable Low Iridium Loaded Anodes for PEM Water Electrolysis Made Possible by Nanofiber Interlayers. ACS Applied Energy Materials, 3(9), 8276-8284.
• Ortiz, E. C., Hegge, F., Breitwieser, M., & Vierrath, S. (2020). Improving the performance of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers with low Ir-loaded anodes by adding PEDOT: PSS as electrically conductive binder. RSC Advances, 10(62), 37923-37927.
• Klose, C., Saatkamp, T., Münchinger, A., Bohn, L., Titvinidze, G., Breitwieser, M., ... & Vierrath, S. (2020). All‐Hydrocarbon MEA for PEM Water Electrolysis Combining Low Hydrogen Crossover and High Efficiency. Advanced Energy Materials, 10(14), 1903995.

Fuel Cells

• Veh, P., Britton, B., Holdcroft, S., Zengerle, R., Vierrath, S., & Breitwieser, M. (2020). Improving the water management in anion-exchange membrane fuel cells via ultra-thin, directly deposited solid polymer electrolyte. RSC Advances, 10(15), 8645-8652.

Redox-Flow Batteries

• Shanahan, B., Böhm, T., Britton, B., Holdcroft, S., Zengerle, R., Vierrath, S., ... & Breitwieser, M. (2019). 30 μm thin hexamethyl-p-terphenyl poly (benzimidazolium) anion exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow batteries. Electrochemistry Communications, 102, 37-40.
  
   

Micro Analysis

• Mu’min, M. S., Böhm, T., Moroni, R., Zengerle, R., Thiele, S., Vierrath, S., & Breitwieser, M. (2019). Local hydration in ionomer composite membranes determined with confocal Raman microscopy. Journal of Membrane Science, 585, 126-135.
• Böhm, T., Moroni, R., Breitwieser, M., Thiele, S., & Vierrath, S. (2019). Spatially resolved quantification of ionomer degradation in fuel cells by confocal Raman microscopy. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 166(7), F3044.
• Hegge, F., Moroni, R., Trinke, P., Bensmann, B., Hanke-Rauschenbach, R., Thiele, S., & Vierrath, S. (2018). Three-dimensional microstructure analysis of a polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzer anode. Journal of Power Sources, 393, 62-66.

Awards

• f-cell award – Innovationspreis Brennstoffzelle in der Kategorie Forschung & Entwicklung (09/2019)
• Innovationspreis für Masterarbeit (05/2019)
• Nachwuchsförderpreis der Eva-Mayr-Stihl-Stiftung (11/2018)
• Innovationspreis des Deutschen Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellenverbands (DWV) (04/2018)
• Best Poster Prize beim Hereaus-Seminar, Bad Honnef (07/2017)
• Best-Poster-Award für Brennstoffzellenkonzept (02/2017)
• Promotionspreis für Matthias Breitwieser (11/2015)
• Prämierter Vortrag und Top-Platzierung beim Fotowettbewerb der Baden-Württemberg Stiftung (10/2015)
• f-cell award – Innovationspreis Brennstoffzelle (10/2015)