Ion conductors under pressure

• Applicant: Dr. Stefan Schwarzmüller
• Subject Area: Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis ; Computer-Aided Design of Materials and Simulation of Materials Behaviour from Atomic to Microscopic Scale ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials ; Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2021 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 495324019

Ion conducting materials are utilized in a diverse field of applications like batteries, sensors and bio-ionics. They are the key to energy storage and conversion and play a major role to enable a “green deal” for Germany and Europe. Despite their importance today’s ion conducting materials suffer from poor long-term stability or decreased ion conduction due to real structure effects.Within this project high-pressure synthesis will be used to rationally design new, and improve existing ion conducting materials. Based on current shortcomings as well as underutilized potential, four research objectives were identified: 1) Optimizing ionic conductivity by influencing the channel or layer width. 2) Improving the materials real structure. 3) Exploiting theoretical calculations and simulations. 4) Manufacturing new compounds by targeted and explorative high-pressure synthesis. These four research objectives will be applied to a broad range of materials of mainly chalcogenides (like Li11Si2PS12 and substitution variants) or oxides and phosphates (like LiTi2(PO4)3). These four research objectives are accompanied by four main research methods: 1) High-pressure synthesis with a multianvil press (Walker-type module). 2) Structural characterizations by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction. 3) Physical characterization by means of impedance spectroscopy and solid-state NMR. 4) In-situ investigations.Eventually, not only new and improved ion conducting materials are expected but also a blueprint of methods to be applied to a variety of chemical compositions from researchers all over the world. The applicant Dr. Stefan Schwarzmüller will carry out this Walter Benjamin fellowship at the University of Innsbruck in the group of Prof. Dr. Hubert Huppertz. For the theoreticalprediction of structures Dr. Stefan Schwarzmüller will work together with Dr. Maximilian Amsler from Cornell university (USA). The requested period for this Walter Benjamin fellowship is 24 months (2 years).

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: Austria
• Host: Professor Dr. Hubert Huppertz