P1 - Self-healing electrodes for electro(chemical) energy storage

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Andrea Balducci; Professor Dr. Ulrich S. Schubert
• Subject Area: Polymer Materials
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 455748945

The self-healing of polymers has been studied intensively in recent years. In doing so, general design principles could be established enabling the preparation of healable polymers. As part of the project, these concepts are now to be transferred to functional materials. Specifically, new types of electrodes for use in organic radical batteries or (super)capacitors are to be developed, which are characterized by their ability to heal themselves. For this purpose, self-healing polymers with various reversible groups are integrated into the electrode materials in order to ultimately enable cracks and damage to be healed. In addition to the synthesis, a focus will be on the characterization of the materials and, in particular, on the investigation of the self-healing properties. On the one hand, the cracks in the electrodes will be examined optically and tactilely, on the other hand, the restoration of functional properties, such as conductivity or capacity, will be analyzed. In particular, a new method will be established with which the healing of functional materials can be quantified in detail. Finally, the project aims to design new self-healing electrodes for applications in organic radical batteries and supercapacitors and to elucidate structure-property relationships for self-healing functional materials.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5301: The next generation of functional self-healing materials – Restoration of optoelectronic and transport properties in flexible energy storage and conversion materials (FuncHeal)