International conference on multivalent batteries in Ulm

Over 100 battery experts met in Ulm from 6 to 8 September to discuss the latest developments in batteries that do not require lithium. The 4th International Symposium on Magnesium Batteries (MagBatt), has been established in Ulm since 2016 and attracts researchers from all over the world. This time, the programme was expanded to include multivalent batteries in addition to magnesium batteries. This spectrum of topics was discussed in a total of 37 lectures and one poster session.
Multivalent batteries are based on magnesium, calcium, aluminium and zinc. They offer an interesting alternative in terms of the amount of energy that can be delivered, safety, manufacturing and disposal costs and limited environmental impact. The development of completely new battery chemistries is a major challenge. In particular, the high cationic conductivity of multivalent cations such as Mg2+ and Ca2+, Zn2+ or Al3+ is difficult to realise at ambient temperatures in solid-state electrolytes. Various phenomena have been discovered that can improve conductivity, such as nanoparticulate additives, nano-inclusion, stabilisation of disordered polymorphic forms with high dynamics in the solid state, etc. The development of electrodes compatible with high performance electrolytes is also difficult.