Prof. Dr. Yan Lu: Developing new types of batteries sustainably
Since 2009, Yan Lu is a researcher at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. In 2017, she became a professor at the University of Potsdam and at HZB. In addition to her work at the HZB, she is now also a professor at the University of Jena. © M. Setzpfandt / HZB
Yan Lu is appointed new Professor of Hybrid Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion at Friedrich Schiller University Jena together with HZB. Congratulations!
“Conventional lithium-ion batteries are very powerful, but also expensive, as they require metals such as nickel and cobalt in addition to lithium,” says chemist Prof Dr Yan Lu. “That’s why I’m researching more sustainable alternatives, such as lithium-sulphur batteries and batteries based on hybrid materials,” explains the 47-year-old scientist, who is working at Friedrich Schiller University Jena since this semester. Her work combines various areas of expertise: In order to make energy available electrochemically, she combines organic and inorganic chemistry, for example, and also draws on research methods from biochemistry.
As part of her joint appointment with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), where she continues to head the Institute for Electrochemical Energy Storage, the new professor is also co-director of the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications Jena (HIPOLE Jena), which has been founded in 2023 in Jena by the university and HZB.
About Yan LuAfter studying chemistry in Shanghai, Yan Lu completed her doctorate at TU Dresden and then conducted research first in Bayreuth and from 2009 at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin. In 2017, she became a professor at the University of Potsdam and at HZB. In addition to her work at the Helmholtz Centre, she has also been Professor of Hybrid Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion at the University of Jena since the winter semester 2023/24.
- Optical innovations for solar modules - which are the most promising?In 2023, photovoltaic systems generated more than 5% of the world’s electrical energy and the installed capacity doubles every two to three years. Optical technologies can further increase the efficiency of solar modules and open up new applications, such as coloured solar modules for facades. Now, 27 experts provide a comprehensive overview of the state of research and assess the most promising innovations. The report, which is also of interest to stakeholders in funding and science management, was coordinated by HZB scientists Prof. Christiane Becker and Dr. Klaus Jäger.
- Catalysis research with the X-ray microscope at BESSY IIContrary to what we learned at school, some catalysts do change during the reaction: for example, certain electrocatalysts can change their structure and composition during the reaction when an electric field is applied. The X-ray microscope TXM at BESSY II in Berlin is a unique tool for studying such changes in detail. The results help to develop innovative catalysts for a wide range of applications. One example was recently published in Nature Materials. It involved the synthesis of ammonia from waste nitrates.
- Samira Aden joins ETIP PV - The European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics ESG Working GroupSamira Jama Aden, Architect Design Research, has joined the ETIP PV - The European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics working group “Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)”.