Ulm Talks 2024 under the banner of sustainability

Das Stadthaus am Ulmer Münster war dieses Mal Veranstaltungsort des DGO-Events (Fotos: robert Piterek)

Ulm Talks 2024 under the banner of sustainability The expert forum in Ulm leaves no room for doubt: A large number of research projects in electroplating and surface technology are currently focusing on hydrogen, batteries, storage and applications in e-mobility. This means that the innovative strength of the sector is closely interwoven with the transformation of the industry. There was also a surprise guest in Ulm - Prof. Nasser Kanani himself presented the award named after him this year.

"The Ulm Dialogue took place 43 times in Neu-Ulm and only twice in Ulm," Dr. Klaus Wojczykowski, event director and head of the DGO Research Committee, told the participants at the start of the event. The reason for the numbers game was simple: the rare event had taken place - this year, around 70 industry representatives from research, application and the supplier industry met on the Ulm side of the Danube in the town hall right next to Ulm Minster. Under the motto "Surface technology and sustainability", 15 lectures on the hydrogen economy, battery technology and new storage and coating solutions were presented there on May 15 and 16. As in previous years, a joint evening visit to the Barfüßer brewery in Ulm city center was part of the program for networking and extensive technical discussions.

Expert meeting for surface technicians: The participants came mainly from research and development

In his introductory speech, Dr. Wojczykowski described sustainability as a topic of the present and future that provides impetus for the industry. However, the development of society and industry towards sustainability is not uniform, as the contradictory nature of the current situation in e-mobility, where registration figures have been declining since the beginning of the year, shows. "We don't know where it's going," stated Dr. Wojczykowski, who is Director of IP Management at MacDermidEnthone in addition to his involvement in the association.

Patricia Preikschat receives DGO plaque

This was followed by the presentation of this year's DGO plaque by DGO Chairman Dr. Martin Metzner to Patricia Preikschat (interview with her on p. 844), co-founder of SurTec and now Managing Director of Presch Matters in Switzerland. Surtec was founded over 30 years ago in 1993. The company is now internationally renowned for its specialty chemicals with sustainable products such as chromium(III). In addition to her professional career, Preikschat has also had a long career with the DGO. Between 2006 and 2009, she was Chair of the Board. "The hydrogen embrittlement working group is characterized by her commitment," emphasized Dr. Metzner. It is also thanks to her initiative that there is now a hydrogen embrittlement training course for practitioners. According to Dr. Metzner in his laudatory speech, Patricia Preikschat has contributed to the fact that it is now possible to treat components safely. Patricia Preikschat gratefully accepted the plaque. She has fond memories of the Ulm Dialogue with good lectures, intelligent and controversial discussions and wonderful encounters and is delighted to have received the award.

Dr. Martin Metzner überreichte Patricia Preikschat die DGO-Plakette für ihr Engagement für Branche und DGODr. Martin Metzner presented Patricia Preikschat with the DGO plaque for her commitment to the sector and the DGO

Nasser Kanani Prize for research into corrosion protection

The Nasser Kanani Prize, which was also awarded during the Ulm Dialogue, held a special surprise in store this year, as it was presented in the presence of the prize's founder, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Nasser Kanani (interview with him on p. 782). In a short speech, Prof. Kanani emphasized that engineering and natural sciences are important for general prosperity. For this reason, science prizes that advance research are also important. Prof. Kanani taught at the TU Berlin for many years and has written numerous books on electroplating and the history of technology - many of them published by Leuze Verlag. This year, the prize went equally to two scientists, who also shared the prize money of 3000 euros: To Frank Simchen from Chemnitz University of Technology for his research into coatings for the corrosion protection of magnesium and to Dr. René Böttcher from Airbus Defense & Space for his research into the electrochemical deposition of aluminum from ionic liquids. Frank Simchen introduced his topic with the joking quote "Magnesium is the material of the future and always will be". According to the Chemnitz-based scientist, magnesium is a material that is very susceptible to corrosion and still lacks effective protective anti-corrosion coatings. He proved that a passivation layer similar to that on aluminum can be created on magnesium using Mg(OH)2. Simchen is collaborating on his research with the rectifier expert plating electronic from Sexau in the Black Forest. Dr. Böttcher then also addressed the topic of corrosion protection and explained that aluminum has now become established in cathodic corrosion protection and has replaced cadmium. But to what extent are galvanic aluminum alloys made from ionic liquids able to provide effective cathodic corrosion protection under atmospheric conditions? Dr. Böttcher demonstrated on the basis of research results that aluminum-zinc systems show the best results here.

Veranstaltungsleiter war der neue Leiter des DGO-Fachausschusses Forschung Dr. Klaus Wojczykowski.The event was chaired by the new head of the DGO Research Committee, Dr. Klaus Wojczykowski.

 

 

 

 

Frank Simchen, Prof. Nasser Kanani und Dr. René Böttcher (v.l.n.r.) bei der Preisverleihung des Nasser-Kanani-PreisesFrank Simchen, Prof. Nasser Kanani and Dr. René Böttcher (from left to right) at the award ceremony for the Nasser Kanani Prize

Surface technology for the hydrogen economy

Prof. Unwerth warte vor einer rapiden Temperaturerhöhung durch den TreibhauseffektProf. Unwerth warns of a rapid rise in temperature due to the greenhouse effectThecore program began with a lecture by Prof. Dr. Thomas von Unwerth from Chemnitz University of Technology on the role of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source. He warned that global warming could lead to a local temperature increase of up to 10 °C by the turn of the century. He then explained that hydrogen could make a significant contribution to achieving climate targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuels while maintaining economic viability. The potential of hydrogen ranges from production, storage and transportation to a wide variety of applications.

Dr. Mila Manolova from the fem Forschungsinstitut Edelmetalle + Metallchemie in Schwäbisch Gmünd then presented the galvanic production of highly active non-precious metal electrodes for alkaline membrane electrolysis (N-AEMEL). Precious metal-free catalysts were electrochemically deposited on porous substrates and tested under industrially relevant conditions. The results showed high activity and stability of the catalysts.

Dr. Tomas Klicpera, Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, presented the electrolyzer technology for industrial applications, in particular Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (AEMWE) and Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE). He emphasized the importance of adapting electrolysis plants to load profiles caused by the fluctuating availability of emission-free energy sources. The discussion focused on the consistency of performance and minimizing the gas permeation of hydrogen.

Surfaces for batteries and fuel cells

The coffee break was followed by a presentation by Prof. Dr. Timo Sörgel from Aalen University, moderated by Prof. Dr. Andreas Bund. He reported on the current status of composite electroforming of battery cathodes, using aluminum as a binding matrix to develop more powerful batteries. There is also a recycling concept: the cathode can later be reused as an anode. In order to develop high-performance electrodes, Prof. Sörgel reported that they are now joining forces with the TU Ilmenau.

Prof. Timo Sörgel brachte die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer beim HS Aalen-Projekt zur Kompositgalvanoformung von Batterie­elektroden auf den neuesten StandProf. Timo Sörgel brought the participants in the HS Aalen project on composite electroforming of battery electrodes up to date

Dr. Mathias Weiser from the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Dresden presented novel electrode materials by electrolytic oxidation of electrodeposited tin layers. These nanoporous conductive tin oxide layers can be used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

New energy storage systems

Moderated by Prof. Dr. Timo Sörgel, the next day began with a presentation by Dr. Andreas Dietz from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig. He spoke about generating energy without fossil fuels by burning iron, and emphasized the possibility of converting iron oxide back into metallic iron using electrochemical processes. Dr. Dietz is an expert in electrochemistry and surface technology and works intensively in the field of space travel. His research focuses on the development of new concepts for securing energy supplies from resources on the moon. Iron is also important in this context.

Christoph Kiesl from the fem Forschungsinstitut Edelmetalle + Metallchemie in Schwäbisch Gmünd then presented the galvanic production of calcium battery anodes as a promising alternative to lithium batteries in order to increase storage capacity and sustainability.

Dr. Andreas Dietz sprach über die neue Eisenzeit. Eisen könnte auch zur Energieversorgung dienen, wenn der Mensch eines Tages den Mond besiedeltDr. Andreas Dietz spoke about the new iron age. Iron could also be used to supply energy if humans one day colonize the moon

Dr. Martin Opitz from the fem Forschungsinstitut Edelmetalle + Metallchemie is working on new storage technologies. He gave an overview of current developments in the field of redox flow batteries, in particular nickel-zinc double-flow batteries, which are suitable for stationary energy storage.

Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm from Humboldt University in Berlin then discussed the potential and challenges of sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries and outlined their market opportunities. The main advantages are availability and price.

Surface technology supports sustainability

With Dr. Klaus Wojczykowski as moderator, Prof. Dr. Andreas Bund from the Technical University of Ilmenau started the last block of lectures. He presented the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide for the production of sustainable fuels and presented experimental results with porous copper electrodes.

The following presentation by Dr. Isabell Buresch from TE Connectivity Germany GmbH dealt with the use of silver dispersion layers for connectors in e-mobility, which enable high vibration and temperature stability as well as numerous mating cycles.

The presentation by Franz Rieger, Managing Director of Rieger Metallveredlung GmbH & Co KG in Steinheim am Albuch, had a concrete reference to the electroplating industry. Rieger highlighted the cost aspect of sustainability and the return on investment (ROI) when implementing green measures in a German contract electroplating company as part of the EU "Green Deal".

Lionel Thiery from MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions concluded the event with a presentation on sustainability in surface finishing. He emphasized the importance of environmental protection and increased efficiency in product development and presented technologies that successfully combine these goals.

Photos: Robert Piterek

  • Issue: Januar
  • Year: 2020
Image

Eugen G. Leuze Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Karlstraße 4
88348 Bad Saulgau
GERMANY

Phone.: +49 7581 4801-0
Fax: +49 7581 4801-10
EMail: info@leuze-verlag.de

 

Sign up for our newsletter now: