The industry’s most innovative people 2024 Wilhelm Pfleging
Organisation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Role: Professor and Head of Laser Materials Processing Group - Lithium Ion Batteries Based in: Karlsruhe, Germany Education: PhD, Physics, RWTH Aachen University
What are you currently working on? What will the impact be? I'm working on developing 3D electrode architectures for next-generation batteries. 3D electrodes are realised using additive (printing) and/or subtractive (ablation) processes. Laser ablation is scaled up through ultra-fast, high-power, multi-beam laser processing of electrode materials in roll-to-roll environments. To this end, a complete laboratory-scale manufacturing route for batteries, next-generation batteries and subsequent analytics was built to optimally integrate laser-based processes for modification, printing and structuring. The research work will take battery technology to the next level of development by doubling the service life, increasing energy and power density and reducing manufacturing costs while significantly reducing the CO2
footprint.
What was the most surprising thing you found in the course of your latest research? Part of my research deals with the development and application of laser- induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to investigate diffusion kinetics in electrodes
"It would be advisable for the photonics industry to identify and further develop laser-based and optical technologies characterised by high efficiency, and support or revolutionise applications that significantly support the global energy transition"
and to study degradation processes. This technology has surprisingly proven to be extremely useful for battery research and development. The analysis of the diffusion paths in 3D electrodes, the assessment of binder migration and the detection of local charge states over large electrode areas and volumes open up new avenues for battery development and quality assurance.
What’s your biggest research priority in the coming year? From the next two years onwards, the
transfer of research work from the 3D battery level to the 3D module level will begin. Together with the synergy effects from the merger of laser process technology and battery research, the transfer of research results into industrial application will be significantly accelerated.
In your opinion, what is the most significant photonics technology (other than one you have worked on) to emerge in the past 12 months and why? The success of the laser-assisted ignition of the fusion was clearly one of the most outstanding results of the last year.
What are the biggest challenges or threats to the industry in the next 12 months? How can these be overcome? Due to an increasing inflation and energy costs, a decline in capital expenditure will also have an impact on the photonics industry as a supplier for innovative processes. In order to counter this trend, it would
be advisable for the photonics industry to specifically identify and further develop laser-based and optical technologies that are characterised by high efficiency and support or revolutionise industrial applications that significantly support the global energy transition.
Which photonics sector do you see as having the greatest opportunity for growth in the next 12 months? High-speed communication as well as laser materials processing and optical analytics for the emerging market for gigafactories to be installed in Europe (an annual capacity of more than 2,000GWh is planned in Europe alone) and worldwide will be the driver for the photonics industry in the near future.
Thinking about your current location, what are the challenges or opportunities faced by photonics researchers or companies in that country specifically? In Europe and Germany, the general conditions for photonics researchers are still good in terms of funding opportunities for application-oriented and basic research. Universities and industry are organised in photonics clusters, enabling significant synergy effects. Challenges are currently arising in particular as a result of global political developments that affect energy price developments, resource availability, and global cooperation opportunities.
What is your proudest moment in photonics so far? What I am most pleased about is the personal and scientific development of the many young people who discovered their enthusiasm for laser technology and whom I was and still am able to accompany on the way to their graduation and over many years to their PhD.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do? Do what you do best and if your passion becomes a career, try to give back to society through your joyful work. For me it went from physics and solid state physics to laser technology, which I was very enthusiastic about, and finally to materials science and battery technology.
Where can people find you online?
www.linkedin.com/in/wilhelm-pfleging- 80305a7/;
www.iam.kit.edu/awp/ english/
1455.php;
Where can people see you in person over the next year? AABC, San Diego; SPIE Photonics West; SPIE Photonics Europe, Strasbourg; ECS Conferences (The Electrochemical Society).
2024 Photonics100 53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
