Lithium-ion batteries are seen as the most promising technology for reversible energy storage to enable sustainable electrification of the mobility needs of today’s society. However, besides the urgent need for improved energy and power densities, there are two major challenges for wider dissemination of the technology: the high costs and serious safety concerns. While the comparatively high costs are mainly due to the expensive metals contained in the battery, such as cobalt, nickel, or copper, safety concerns arise primarily from the high flammability and low stability of the liquid electrolytes. The MOLIBE project (under the overall supervision of Dr. Dominic Bresser, HIU-KIT) will develop completely solid, metal-free rechargeable batteries. These batteries are based on organic active materials and polymer electrolyte systems. The French and German project partners cover the entire range of skills required for this – from the synthesis and characterization of the organic active materials, polymer electrolytes, and new current collectors, to the production and testing of the cells, to the analysis and evaluation of the sustainability of the entire value chain.

The main objectives of the MOLIBE project are:

• Developing organic active materials, metal-free current collectors, and non-metallic charge carriers in order to avoid any metallic components.
• Increasing safety by implementing polymer electrolyte systems with high ionic conductivity.
• Developing a basic understanding of the various chemical and electrochemical reactions in the battery cell.
• Supporting the development process through continuous and prospective life cycle analysis to ensure sustainability of the newly developed electrochemical energy storage system.

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