Interfaces and boundary phases play a crucial role in batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, as they influence properties such as stability, reversibility and safety of the battery, among other things. A particularly important intermediate layer is the Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI), which only occurs after the battery has been produced during the first charging and discharging cycles. We dive deep into battery research with Prof. Christine Kranz from the University of Ulm in order to understand how batteries can be optimized. The question of how the ions in solid-state batteries can get through solid-solid interfaces is particularly exciting.
