Julia Maybach
Julia MAIBACH
Head of the Surface and Interface Analysis Group at the Institute of Applied Materials - Energy Storage Systems (IAM-ESS).
The goal of the Maybach team's research activities is to develop a stable chemically and mechanically flexible electrode protective layer that will enable Si/C anodes to realistically replace current commercial electrode systems, with the core of the project "InSEIde-Artificial SEI: Understanding and Manipulating Interfaces in Lithium-Ion Batteries" and focusing on the study of interface properties in electrochemical energy storage systems. The project focuses on the solid electrolyte intermediate phase (SEI), which forms on the negative electrode and protects it from further parasitic reactions during battery operation. Although the importance of SEI is well known, its exact formation mechanism is not fully understood. Using state-of-the-art surface and interface characterization methods, the Maybach team studied these SEI layers at a fundamental level, with the aim of designing artificial electrode protection layers.
Q&A Q&A
Q:
What is the driving force behind your research?
A:
Curiosity, I try to understand the mechanism by which a transaction works and why it happens.
What's the part of your job that impresses you the most?
Driven by curiosity, I am always passionate about learning. I was fascinated by both the specific experimental projects and the ups and downs I experienced in the course of the experiments, and I was thrilled to have these experiences in the field of science.
What are your research goals?
Learn how different battery components interact and how to improve them to extend battery life.
What was your most memorable experience?
After repeated failures in synchrotron radiation experiments, we finally obtained photoelectron spectroscopy data at the first atmospheric pressure of the liquid battery electrolyte solvent. When we realize that we have observed some previously undiscovered research data, the previous experiences of struggle and failure are immediately forgotten and can only feel the joy of success.
Written by Wood
Typography Yang Zhou
Editor-in-Charge Yu Hua