Dr. Dominik Stepien
Topics of research
– Development and synthesis of sodium transition metal oxides
– Alkali metal batteries
– Ionic liquid-based electrolytes
– Solid-state batteries
Educational background
Doctoral degree in physical chemistry
2020-2023
Helmholtz Institute Ulm, Germany.
PhD thesis: “Ionic Liquid-based Electrolytes for Lithium-Metal Batteries”, Dr. Dominic Bresser.
Master’s degree in chemistry
2017 – 2020
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany.
Master thesis: “Liquid Electrolytes for Lithium-Metal Batteries”, Prof. Stefano Passerini.
Bachelor’s degree in chemistry
2014-2017
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany.
Bachelor thesis: “Shift to Post-Li-Ion Capacitors: Electrochemical Behavior of Activated Carbon Electrodes in Li-, Na- and K-Salt Containing Organic Electrolytes”, Prof. Sonia Dsoke/Prof. Helmut Ehrenberg.
Graduate School
2021-2023 KIT “UpGrade Mobility”
Awards & Accomplishments
April, 2023:
Aachen, Germany
Advanced Battery Power, oral presentation: “Fiber Optic Evanescent Wave Sensors for Lithium-Metal Batteries”
October, 2022:
Atlanta, USA
242th Meeting ECS, oral presentation: “Insights into the Lithium Nucleation and Plating/Stripping Behavior from Ionic Liquid-based Battery Electrolytes”
Internship
April – September 2018:
Robert Bosch GmbH Center for research and advance engineering, Renningen, Germany.
Topic: “Understanding the Lifetime of Battery Cells Based on Solid-State Li6PS5Cl Electrolyte Paired with Lithium Metal Electrode”,
Dr. Ruth Schlenker.
Publications
2023
Ganesan, P.; Soans, M.; Cambaz, M. A.; Zimmermanns, R.; Gond, R.; Fuchs, S.; Hu, Y.; Baumgart, S.; Sotoudeh, M.; Stepien, D.; Stein, H.; Groß, A.; Bresser, D.; Varzi, A.; Fichtner, M. Fluorine-Substituted Halide Solid Electrolytes with Enhanced Stability toward the Lithium Metal. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15 (32), 38391–38402. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c03513.
Wu, F.; Mullaliu, A.; Diemant, T.; Stepien, D.; Parac-Vogt, T. N.; Kim, J. K.; Bresser, D.; Kim, G. T.; Passerini, S. Beneficial Impact of Lithium Bis(Oxalato)Borate as Electrolyte Additive for High-Voltage Nickel-Rich Lithium-Battery Cathodes. InfoMat 2023, 5 (8), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/inf2.12462.
Roscher, D.; Kim, Y.; Stepien, D.; Zarrabeitia, M.; Passerini, S. Solvent-Free Ternary Polymer Electrolytes with High Ionic Conductivity for Stable Sodium-Based Batteries at Room Temperature. Batter. Supercaps 2023, 6 (9), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/batt.202300092.
Stępień, D.; Wolff, B.; Diemant, T.; Kim, G. T.; Hausen, F.; Bresser, D.; Passerini, S. Insights into the Lithium Nucleation and Plating/Stripping Behavior in Ionic Liquid-Based Electrolytes. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15 (21), 25462–25472. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c01722.
Kim, Y.; Stepien, D.; Moon, H.; Schönherr, K.; Schumm, B.; Kuenzel, M.; Althues, H.; Bresser, D.; Passerini, S. Artificial Interphase Design Employing Inorganic-Organic Components for High-Energy Lithium-Metal Batteries. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15 (17), 20987–20997. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c00779
Shin, Y.; Stepien, D.; Hepp, M.; Butz, B.; Bresser, D.; Fleischmann, S. Cryogenic Electron Microscopy Workflows for the Characterization of Electrochemical Interfaces and Interphases in Batteries. J. Power Sources 2023, 556 (October 2022), 232515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2022.232515.
2022
Geng, K.; Eisenmann, T.; Parmar, R.; Rezvani, J.; Gunnella, R.; Amati, M.; Gregoratti, L.; Stepien, D.; Diemant, T.; Bresser, D. Impact of a PEO-Based Interphase at the Negative Electrode of “Zero Excess” Lithium-Metal Batteries. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2022, 169 (11), 110521. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac9f74.
Ates, T.; Neumann, A.; Danner, T.; Latz, A.; Zarrabeitia, M.; Stepien, D.; Varzi, A.; Passerini, S. Elucidating the Role of Microstructure in Thiophosphate Electrolytes – a Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study of β-Li3PS4. Adv. Sci. 2022, 9 (18), 1–11.
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202105234. Chen, Z.; Stepien, D.; Wu, F.; Zarrabeitia, M.; Liang, H. P.; Kim, J. K.; Kim, G. T.; Passerini, S. Stabilizing the Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3|Li Interface for High Efficiency and Long Lifespan Quasi-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries. ChemSusChem 2022, 15 (10), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202200038.
2020
Schlenker, R.; Stȩpień, D.; Koch, P.; Hupfer, T.; Indris, S.; Roling, B.; Miß, V.; Fuchs, A.; Wilhelmi, M.; Ehrenberg, H. Understanding the Lifetime of Battery Cells Based on Solid-State Li6PS5Cl Electrolyte Paired with Lithium Metal Electrode. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12 (17), 20012–20025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b22629.
2019
Strauss, F.; Stepien, D.; Maibach, J.; Pfaffmann, L.; Indris, S.; Hartmann, P.; Brezesinski, T. Influence of Electronically Conductive Additives on the Cycling Performance of Argyrodite-Based All-Solid-State Batteries. RSC Adv. 2019, 10 (2), 1114–1119. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ra10253a.
2018
Stępień, D.; Zhao, Z.; Dsoke, S. Shift to Post-Li-Ion Capacitors: Electrochemical Behavior of Activated Carbon Electrodes in Li-, Na- and K-Salt Containing Organic Electrolytes. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2018, 165 (11), A2807–A2814. https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0921811jes.