An international collaboration between the University of Michigan and Fraunhofer addresses the increasing global demand for more efficient and sustainable technologies for transportation.
The Alternative Energy Technologies for Transportation (AETT) program has awarded $2 million in seed grants for five projects. All proposals were peer-reviewed and judged on originality, scientific visibility and possible economic impact by U-M’s Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and Fraunhofer, together with U-M’s Office of the Vice President for Research.
Each project also was judged on its potential to secure external funding or commercialization at the end of the two-year project phase. Each team has scientists from both the U-M and Fraunhofer.
“We are very proud that our two calls for proposals were answered by most excellent faculty, engineers, and researchers at both U-M and Fraunhofer,” said Anke Hellwig of Fraunhofer, AETT program co-director. “Their research plans demonstrate a high synergy between the two units and, therefore, reiterate our motivation to leverage this transatlantic initiative.”
Most recipients of the AETT seed grants are working on the key technological issue of future mobility and transportation—the storage of electric energy. State-of-the-art components (as Li-batteries, yellow in fig.) need to be refined and further advanced before they can be integrated in serial production of electric vehicles. AETT researchers are tackling the charge/discharge efficiency, safety, and life-cycle of such batteries, as well as the design of supercapacitors and redox flow batteries.
“This landmark partnership is on the road to moving crucial research discoveries from the laboratories to a vital industry in search of transformation towards sustainability,” said Dennis Assanis, director of the U-M Energy Institute and AETT program co-director. “Not only is this international collaboration advancing transportation energy technology, it’s also building an exciting, close-knit scientific network.”
The projects (more detail can be found by clicking on each project title):
High speed laser cutting of electrodes for lithium-ion batteries
Development of advanced high speed remote cutting technology to enhance the reliability, safety, and life cycle of lithium-ion batteries.
- Jyoti Mazumder, University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering
- Jens Tuebke, Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology
Non-aqueous redox flow batteries
Design of non-aqueous redox flow batteries with significantly increased energy and power density and charge/discharge efficiency relative to state-of-the-art aqueous models.
- Charles Monroe, University of Michigan, Chemical Engineering
- Christian Doetsch, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology
Integration of high surface area carbide/nitrides with 3D metal foams for high performance supercapacitors
Design of a high-performance supercapacitor prototype by integrating high-surface area carbide/nitrides with 3-D metal foams.
- Levi T. Thompson, University of Michigan, Chemical Engineering
- Paul G. Rasmussen, Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry
- Gunnar Walther, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research
- Burghardt Kloeden, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research
3-D dynamic diagnostics of combustion processes
Three-dimensional dynamic diagnostics of combustion processes with the objective to enable more fuel-efficient internal combustion engine concepts.
- Almantas Galvanauskas, University of Michigan, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
- Volker Sick, University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering
- Stefan Heinemann, Fraunhofer Center for Laser Technology
Laser surface modification for production of high performance lithium-ion batteries
Novel electrode materials for the improved charge capabilities and life cycle of lithium-ion batteries by laser-surface modification.
- Anton Van der Ven, University of Michigan, Materials Science and Engineering
- Arnold Gillner, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology
