
Electrochemical energy storage plays an important role to effectively utilize inherently volatile renewable energy sources.
Larger scale storage can be effectively achieved by battery systems and the sodium ion battery is a particularly interesting candidate due to its high energy density and abundance of involved materials. Our research on the one hand focuses on the understanding of processes occurring on the negative electrode side, trying to identify the origins of high-energy density storage, and on the other hand utilizes the gained insights to prepare materials with enhanced storage properties.
On a faster time scale, supercapacitors with porous carbon electrodes can provide energy in short bursts. Here, the pores play an outstanding role, as they must have sufficient area for the adsorption of ions and at the same time provide diffusion “highways” to transport those ions in a short time. We investigate the interactions of the ions with each other and with pore walls of different width, shape, and surface chemistry to enhance energy storage in supercapacitors.