Contact

Dr. Tom Weier

Head Liquid metal battery
t.weierAthzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 2226

Experiments with Liquid Metal Battery Cells

Our battery lab enables the electrochemical investigation of liquid metal electrodes and molten salt electrolytes.

Scheme of a liquid metal battery cell (English version)

Scheme of a liquid metal battery cell

Foto: ©Michael Nimtz

For experiments, small cells are build and tested under argon atmosphere in the glove box or in a real environment in the laboratory.

Our lab devices include:

  • Double preparation- and testing box (glovebox with controlled temperature and regeneration system: O2/H2O<0,1ppm)
  • Mass spectrometer with capillary inlet in the glovebox
  • High-temperature/ultra-high-vacuum recipient for preparation and experiments
  • Laser-induced breakdown spectrometer (Aryell200 optics)
  • Laboratory furnaces
  • Potentiostates
  • Keithley Sourcemeter

The electrochemical experiments and the development of liquid metal batteries include:

  • Optimization of electrode pairing
  • Testing of low melting salt mixtures
  • Testing of material combinations of electrodes/electrolytes/collectors/isolators
  • In-situ measurement of gas evolution (during cell cycling or melting salt mixtures)
  • Long term cycling of cells
  • Development of cell housings
  • Corrosion studies
  • In operando X-ray and neutron imaging
Foto: corroded cell housing ©Copyright: Dr. Martins Sarma

Corrosion

Corrosion is investigated especially in molten salts. Electrochemical approaches are used together with ICP-MS, REM-EDX and others.
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Foto: X-ray image of a liquid metal battery ©Copyright: Dr. Martins Sarma

Radiography of liquid metal batteries

Neutrons and X-rays are used to visualize processes in liquid metal batteries. Cells imaging is performed in operando at temperatures exceeding 600°C.
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Foto: Cell designs for liquid metal batteries ©Copyright: Dr. Martins Sarma

Battery engineering

An optimized cell design is fundamental for a long lifetime of a liquid metal battery.
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Publications