POLiS2 - Post Lithium Storage 2

  • Contact:

    Dr. Anna Smith, Dr. Joachim Binder, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Fleischer

  • Project Group:

    Institut für Produktionstechnik (wbk)

    Institut für Angewandte Materialen -Energiespeichersysteme (IAM-ESS)

  • Funding:

    DFG Exzellenzcluster

  • Partner:

    University of Ulm

    University of Gießen

    Karlsruher Institut für Technologlie (KIT)

  • Startdate:

    2026

  • Enddate:

    2032

Goals and Outcomes

The Excellence Cluster POLiS (Post‑Lithium Storage) won the competition again and will receive funding for another seven years starting in 2026. Since 2018, POLiS researchers have been investigating innovative battery materials and storage technologies. In the new funding period 2026‑2032, they focus on building full cells and studying the interactions among battery components inside the cell.

 

Content and Approach

During the first funding phase, POLiS developed the required novel battery materials and technology concepts for high‑performance, sustainable electrical‑energy storage. We identified sustainable alternatives that no longer depend on lithium or other critical materials, exploring batteries based on sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, and chloride ions. These so‑called post‑lithium batteries can store more energy, are safer, and provide a cost‑effective, long‑term solution for mass‑market applications such as stationary and mobile electrochemical storage.

This concept is pursued by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Ulm, the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden‑Württemberg (ZSW), and the Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU)—the only German excellence cluster for battery research established in the 2018 federal‑state strategy. POLiS is also embedded in the Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm & Karlsruhe (CELEST), founded in 2018 by KIT, the University of Ulm, and ZSW.

CELEST members conduct research across the entire electrochemical energy‑storage spectrum, from fundamental science to technology transfer, covering the full R&D chain. With 55 membe