Jürgen Janek is a professor and group chief at Justus-Liebig College Giessen and a spokesperson for the profitable Publish-Lithium Storage Cluster of Excellence alongside Helmut Ehrenberg (KIT) and Birgit Esser (Ulm College). This program was lately granted a brand new seven-year funding interval (from 2026 till the top of 2032) as a part of the ‘Excellence Technique’ of the Federal and State Governments of Germany, indicating the promise and demanding significance of this analysis.
Few profession paths are a straight line: once I requested Professor Janek how he bought into this subject and the place he sees it going, he knowledgeable me that he had nearly chosen to review historical past as a substitute. Fortunately for the electrochemistry neighborhood, he enrolled in chemistry and a few notable gaps in our data drew him in and saved him there…
Your group focuses on the electrochemistry of solids. What bought you interested by this space? Was there somebody who particularly influenced your early profession and considering?
What attracted my curiosity very early had been the lacking chapters in electrochemistry textbooks. I studied chemistry from 1983 until 1989 in Hannover in Germany, and my tutorial lecturers Hermann Schmalzried, Klaus Funke and Manfred Martin had a powerful background in physics, metallurgy and supplies science. Later, Alan B. Lidiard (Harwell, Oxford) had a powerful affect on my work throughout a long-term collaboration; he was an professional in transport concept and wrote the primary chapter on ionic conduction within the strong state within the ‘Handbuch der Physik’ [Handbook of Physics]. I realized loads on defects in solids, ion transport and reactions within the strong state within the Nineteen Nineties – which was not often coated in most chemistry textbooks. I believed that solid-state electrochemistry, internationally often known as solid-state ionics, could be a wonderful subject on the crossings of chemistry, physics and engineering. I additionally thought that this subject could be essential for power applied sciences, which has confirmed to be true.
What do you suppose was a very powerful scientific discovery or achievement on this space during the last 10 years?
Spontaneously, I believe that Ryuichi Kanno’s report on very excessive lithium-ion conductivity within the sulfide compound Li10GeP2S12 (“LGPS”) in 2011 (Nature Supplies) was a significant set off for the quick rise of solid-state battery ideas. The dependable and reproducible demonstration of lithium-ion conductivity increased than 10 mS/cm—which is increased than [that] of typical liquid electrolytes—shortly impressed many researchers worldwide and led to a productive competitors for novel strong electrolytes that has not ended but. Current stories and outcomes for sodium strong electrolytes let me hope that room-temperature conductivities even above 100 mS/cm may be achieved. That would open novel pathways towards extra sustainable, high-power solid-state batteries.
“Recycling must be included into the design of novel supplies and cell ideas from the very starting.”
Your group is a part of the POLiS program – the Publish-Lithium Storage Cluster of Excellence – which has simply acquired a funding extension of seven years. May you inform us, what does this program assist, and what are its final targets?
The POLiS cluster, which can, in its second funding interval from 2026 on, be run collectively by College of Ulm, Karlsruhe Institute of Know-how and Justus-Liebig College Giessen (all Germany), focuses on elementary analysis on power storage cell ideas that depend on cellular ions ‘past’ or ‘publish’ lithium. Effectively, as lithium-based batteries for certain will at all times be used sooner or later, this implies to discover cell ideas based mostly on different monovalent cations like sodium or potassium ions, multivalent magnesium, calcium or aluminium ions, and even anions like chlorine ions. Clearly, sodium-ion batteries will make their means, however the prospect of different cell ideas has but to be absolutely explored. Particularly, multivalent ions pose many challenges that lie of their excessive cost and the ensuing interplay with their environment. Successfully, POLiS goals so as to add extra possible choices for electrochemical storage sooner or later. [Its] final aim is to extend the longer term fraction of storage in cells with cellular ions past lithium. I’m satisfied that extra range of well-functioning cell ideas with totally different cell chemistries will provide power storage applied sciences which can be extra resilient [to] geo-political fluctuations.
What are your individual group’s contributions to this system? Is there a contribution particularly you’re most happy with?
My group contributes principally solid-state ideas, in addition to in-depth research of interface reactions and cost transport and switch. Current work I’m fairly happy with is a part of the PhD mission of Until Ortmann inside POLiS. Along with one other PhD pupil, Until Fuchs, he managed to picture and analyse the microstructure of sodium metallic (together with lithium metallic) by electron backscatter diffraction. This work (Nature Supplies, 2024; Adv. Power Mater., 2023 and 2024) opened new views for the design of metallic anodes in batteries. Different outcomes I’m significantly happy with originate from the PhD mission of Clarissa Glaser inside POLiS. She synthesized and characterised novel magnesium-ion strong electrolytes on the premise of selenide spinels. Her outcomes (e.g., Adv. Power Mater., 2023 and 2024) present that magnesium-ion conductivities can enter the 0.1 mS/cm area, providing novel alternatives for full cells.
What’s the significance of recycling with regard to POLiS applied sciences?
POLiS, in its new configuration from 2026 on, could have its personal prolonged analysis space on sustainability, together with systematic work additionally on recycling points. We consider that later recycling must be included into the design of novel supplies and cell ideas from the very starting.
What do you consider would be the fourth gigawatt-scale expertise after Pb, Li, and Na?
Effectively, analysis is fortuitously not about ‘perception’ however fairly about expectations substantiated by correct scientific outcomes. Anyhow, it isn’t simple to foretell later success of findings that usually happen on the educational lab scale. There are such a lot of techno-economic and engineering elements that resolve whether or not a novel battery cell chemistry can [become] ‘sensible’ and a large-scale expertise. As soon as sodium-ion batteries [are] profitable on the markets, a significant step has been achieved. Whether or not another ‘past Li and Na’ cell chemistry might be added as GWh expertise will rely on its efficiency and particular benefits. POLiS explores quite a lot of cellular ions (Okay, Mg, Ca, Al, Cl) as [the] foundation for different cell chemistries, and we hope that one in every of them can, on the finish, open new alternatives in apply.
“What I want to see extra is energetic dialogue and commenting of revealed manuscripts, and even perhaps the choice to switch or enhance revealed papers.”
What are your ideas on scientific communication and reporting in your subject?
Effectively, it is a huge subject, and it is a topic that turns into much more vital in occasions of AI. Initially, scientific outcomes should be communicated – in any other case science won’t advance. Reliability, credibility and reproducibility are key standards for good scientific communication. I believe that scientific societies, and never solely publishers, must take extra duty for high-quality reporting. I do know that there’s steady dialogue on the way forward for publishing, and I take my half in that. I favor open entry publication in journals with a clear and inflexible high quality management. What I want to see extra is energetic dialogue and commenting of revealed manuscripts, and even perhaps the choice to switch or enhance revealed papers. My feeling is that right this moment´s publications nonetheless observe the outdated guidelines from printing true papers, the place in fact no additional change was attainable. At the moment, we’ve different instruments, and we could must develop extra superior varieties of ‘dwelling paperwork’.
What do you get pleasure from doing once you aren’t working?
I nearly began learning historical past when coming into college. However then I made a decision on chemistry, merely for pecuniary causes. Nonetheless, I saved my robust curiosity in historical past and historic developments. So, touring and exploring historic websites, libraries and museums (right here additionally for artwork!) is enjoyable for me. In any other case, I like to cook dinner and increase my data on wine, usually related with climbing excursions in these areas in Europe the place wine is being produced. And I at all times have a responsible conscience not doing sufficient sports activities.
Featured Picture: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek, Physikalische Festkörperchemie – Festkörperionik und Elektrochemie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen. Picture credit score: Rolf Okay. Wegst
