Hannover Messe has started

Yesterday, April 13, the Hannover Messe opened its doors and also the MEET is exhibiting, representing the battery research location Münster. At the joint NRW booth in hall 2 the institute specialized in energy materials and cell technology presents current developments in the realm of electrochemical energy storage technologies. Until Friday, April 17, visitors from industry and science can gain insight into the work of the battery research center.

In view of the transition from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources the development of powerful battery systems for mobile and stationary applications plays a central role. To accomplish the objective of high-performance and cost-effective as well as sustainable battery storage technologies, the individual cell materials are of key relevance. Suitable materials need to be identified and successfully integrated into energy storage devices. “At MEET, we aim at the synthesis of novel active and non-active materials”, explained Dr. Gerhard Hörpel, managing director at MEET, on the first trade fair day. “The overall goals are higher energy density, longer cycle life, easier re-use by recycling, and increased safety.”

This year, one focus of the exhibition in Hannover is put on electrochemically active thin films and thin film cells, respectively. For the development and characterization of these thin films, different types of battery materials are deposited via the so-called “reactive sputter deposition technique”. With this technique, the thickness of the films can be controlled in a well-defined way and can thus be varied between a few nanometers and several microns. Hence, the researchers at MEET are capable of developing solid state electrolytes, as well as different anode and cathode materials as ultra-thin films. These films can eventually be used to prepare novel thin film cells, which in the future may come into operation in integrated electronics or modern medical technology.