Prof. Ulrike Krewer

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials - Electrochemical Technologies (IAM-ET), Germany

About

Ulrike Krewer is full Professor and head of the Institute for Applied Materials – Electrochemical Technologies at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Her more than 20 years research expertise on electrochemical technologies covers established battery, fuel cell and electrolysis technologies, such as Li-ion batteries and PEM electrolysis, as well as a number of exploratory cells such as Li/Na-metal or solid-state batteries, AEM fuel cell, and CO₂ electrolysis.

Ulrike Krewer developed a unique method repertoire for model-based and dynamic analysis of processes in electrodes and electrochemical cells. Using especially modeling from surface to cell level and dynamic analysis, she reveals performance limiting steps and the (degradation) state of cells and electrodes, and uses the models to optimise cell/electrode design and operation.

Her group is one of only few groups world-wide that does in-depth kinetic modelling of processes at electrodes and in cells, including complex networks of electrochemical and chemical reactions and degradation/surface changes. Parameter, process and model identification are conducted by reproducing experimental electrochemical measurements (e.g. polarisation/discharge curves, electrochemical impedance spectra, cyclovoltammograms, …) and (surface) concentration measurements. Highlights in method development are the establishment of nonlinear frequency response analysis for analysis of battery state and electrode kinetics, the first differential electrochemical mass spectrometry for technical electrodes, and coupled kinetic Monte-Carlo/continuum models for build-up of degradation layers.

For her research she got numerous awards, such as the award for fundamental research of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt, the Otto Hahn medal of the Max Planck Society, and the Gold medal in the Samsung SDI paper award. She is in the board of numerous conferences (EFCF, Advanced Battery Power, ISE conferences…), elected regional representative of the International Society of Electrochemistry and member of several advisory boards such as for Battery Research of the German Ministry of Education and Research, Baybatt, the ProcessNet subdivision reaction engineeringand the Energy Research Center Lower Saxony.