Degussa Fosters Professorship

Degussa AG of Dusseldorf, Germany, is setting up a professorship for applied materials sciences for energy storage and conversion at Münster University in collaboration with Chemetall GmbH, Frankfurt, and Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg. The intention behind the professorship, which is unparalleled in Europe, is to establish an internationally competitive research program on energy storage in large-volume lithium-ion batteries. The university and industry will be collaborating closely to drive marketable innovations. The professorship will receive a total of €2.25 million for five years.

As the leader in specialty chemicals, Degussa possesses considerable knowledge in the field of lithium-ion batteries. Its ceramic membrane separator SEPARION® (shown at left) plays a substantial role in making lithium-ion batteries both safer and more powerful for large-scale applications. Such batteries can thus be deployed in hybrid vehicles.