At the BELLA joint laboratory, KIT and BASF SE develop innovative materials for electrochemical energy storage. The laboratory at KIT’s Institute of Nanotechnology (INT) will be opened officially on Thursday, October 06. In the course of a guided tour through the laboratory from 14.45 hrs (start at the KIT High-tech Incubator, Campus North, building 717), representatives of the media will be given exciting insights into research for tomorrow’s batteries.
Development of high-performance and affordable battery systems suitable for daily use is one of the biggest challenges associated with the dissemination of electromobility and the integration of renewable energies. BELLA (Battery and Electrochemistry Laboratory) combines fundamental work of KIT with the industrial know-how of BASF. It is aimed at transferring research results as quickly as possible to marketable products. Work focuses on stores for mobile and stationary applications. BELLA improves existing battery systems by optimized materials and develops materials and components for future generations of batteries of high storage capacity. Another central topic is the safety of battery systems. The equipment of the laboratory allows for a variety of synthetic work, electrochemical characterization of electrode and electrolyte materials, and the investigation of cell properties.
BELLA is financed by KIT and BASF with equal shares. For a period of five years, the partners will invest about EUR 12 million. For KIT, the laboratory represents a major cornerstone in its effort to strategically position itself in battery research and electromobility. BELLA is also part of the electrochemistry and batteries research network founded by BASF in 2010. The laboratory at the KIT Institute of Nanotechnology (INT) is headed by Professor Jürgen Janek, division head at INT and head of institute at the Justus Liebig University of Gießen, and Dr. Andreas Fischer, Head of the Electrochemistry Research Division of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen.
PROGRAM
Opening of the BELLA Joint Laboratory of KIT/BASF
Thursday, October 06, 2011, 15.30 hrs
Institute of Nanotechnology (INT)
KIT Campus North, building 640
14.45 Guided tour through the laboratory for representatives of the media
Start at KIT High-tech Incubator, building 717
15.30 Get-together
With coffee and cake
16.00 Welcome
Professor Eberhard Umbach, President of KIT
Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, Member of the Board of BASF SE
16.20 BELLA: Battery research at KIT in cooperation with industry
Professor Horst Hahn, KIT
16.40 Batteries: Refueling at the socket
Professor Helmut Ehrenberg, KIT
17.30 Presentation of BELLA
Dr. Andreas Fischer, BASF SE
Professor Jürgen Janek, KIT, Justus Liebig University of Gießen
18.00 Reception and guided tour through laboratory
BELLA team
Contact Partners:
BASF
Christian Böhme
Corporate Media Relations
Phone: +49 621 60-20130
Fax: +49 621 60-92693
christian boehme ∂does-not-exist.basf com
KIT
Monika Landgraf
PKM / Press Office
Phone: +49 721 608-48126
Fax: +49 721 608-43658
monika landgraf ∂does-not-exist.kit edu
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.