Prof. Dr. Raphaële Clément (Photo: R.Clément / UCSB)
Prof. Raphaële Clément – Battery materials at the atomic level
What happens inside a battery material at the atomic level? How do structures, defects and ion dynamics influence a battery's electrochemical performance? These are the questions Prof. Raphaële Clément investigates. Since July 2026, the chemist has been Director of the Department of Electrochemical Materials at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart. Previously, she conducted research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was an Assistant Professor between 2018 and 2024, and is currently an Associate Professor. Her academic career took her from the University of Cambridge, where she studied chemistry and received her PhD in 2016, via a postdoctoral position with Prof. Gerbrand Ceder at the University of California, Berkeley, to Santa Barbara.
At the heart of Raphaële Clément's research is the question of how the atomic structure of materials influences their electrochemical performance. Her interdisciplinary approach combines innovative materials synthesis with advanced analytical techniques. She has particular expertise in high-resolution local structure methods, especially solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which she uses to investigate battery materials at the atomic level – including during charging and discharging. Combined with complementary long-range structure and spectroscopic techniques and computer simulations, these insights enable the targeted development of new electrode and electrolyte materials for safer, high-performance batteries. Raphaële Clément has received numerous awards for her research, including prestigious early-career awards from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Electrochemical Society and the World Laureates Foundation.
Dr. Simon Kloß (Photo: LMU)
Dr. Simon Kloß – New materials under extreme pressure
Special nitrogen-containing compounds known as transition metal nitrides represent a promising class of materials with potential for a wide range of applications, including semiconductors for photovoltaics, superconductors, and ferroelectric materials for 5G technologies. Their potential remains largely untapped because they are difficult to access using conventional synthesis methods. Dr. Simon Kloß employs advanced high-pressure synthesis techniques to produce transition metal nitrides, as these nitrogen-rich materials form under pressures in the gigapascal range, equivalent to several tens of thousands of bar. To achieve this, he works with hot isostatic presses, large-volume presses, and diamond anvil cells.
Simon Kloß studied chemistry at LMU Munich and earned his doctorate in 2018 in the research group of Prof. Wolfgang Schnick. He subsequently continued his research there as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2020, he moved to the Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions at the University of Edinburgh for a further postdoctoral appointment in the group of Prof. Paul Attfield, before returning to LMU in 2021. Since 2023, he has led his own research group at LMU Munich. By combining high-pressure synthesis with advanced solid-state characterization techniques, Kloß is opening up entirely new classes of materials.