A group of Nobel Prize winners meets young researchers: the future of chemistry on Lake Constance!

A group of Nobel Prize winners meets young researchers: the future of chemistry on Lake Constance!

33 Nobel Prize winners recently met with over 600 young scientists from all over the world at Lake Constance. The occasion was the 74th Nobel Laureate Meeting in Chemistry, which took place in Lindau at the beginning of July. The participants also included Dr. Alessandro Innocenti and Dr. Adriana Sacristán Martín, young researchers from Ulm who were inspired by the most important minds in the field and were able to explore new career perspectives. University of Ulm reports that during the conference, 18 young chemists from 13 countries visited Ulm University to find out about career opportunities in the POLiS Cluster of Excellence and the CataLight Collaborative Research Center.

Innocenti, who is a postdoc at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), is researching lithium-ion batteries. His participation in the meeting gave him the opportunity to meet Nobel laureates Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino, both of whom were instrumental in the development of this innovative technology. Innocenti studied energy engineering at the Politecnico di Milano and then received his doctorate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His colleague Adriana Sacristán Martín, who works at the Institute of Organic Chemistry I under Professor Max von Delius, also appeared with the same curiosity and determination. She studied chemistry at the University of Valladolid and also received a doctorate.

A look at lithium-ion technology

Following on from the work of Whittingham, Goodenough and Yoshino, the importance of lithium-ion batteries should not be underestimated. Since their launch in 1991, these batteries have revolutionized our lives and laid the foundation for a world without fossil fuels. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to these three scientists for their contributions to the development of this technology. The overall award ceremony, which took place on December 10, 2019, was endowed with 830,000 euros. John B. Goodenough, the oldest Nobel Prize winner, was recognized for his discoveries that significantly increased the efficiency of batteries.

The innovation of lithium-ion batteries is based on a complex interaction of chemical processes. Stanley Whittingham explored superconductors and discovered the use of titanium disulfide as an innovative cathode, allowing the intercalation of lithium ions. Goodenough found in 1980 that cobalt oxide could produce a voltage of up to four volts with these ions. Akira Yoshino finally made the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery possible in 1985 by using petroleum coke for the anode, thereby overcoming the explosive properties of metal lithium. The time highlights that the ability of these batteries to store energy from renewable sources lays the foundation for sustainable energy solutions.

Career opportunities in Ulm

After taking part in the Nobel Laureate Meeting, the 18 doctoral students and postdocs from different countries were given the opportunity to visit Ulm University. The great response to information about Ulm's battery research and photocatalysis led to a tight schedule for laboratory tours. Chemie.de emphasizes that the visitors were impressed by the modern equipment and the innovative research approaches in Ulm. There is a possibility that some of them will continue their academic careers at the university, which could be of great benefit to both the institution and the researchers.

Overall, the commitment of the young scientists in Lindau and the continued importance of lithium-ion battery research shows how important new ideas and the exchange of knowledge are for a sustainable future.