Prof. Doron Aurbach was in the second year of his graduate studies in 1978 when, as a tour guide, he worked with a group from Ormat Technologies Inc., a prominent Israeli renewable energy company. “As a physical chemistry master’s student, I thought I knew something about thermodynamics, heat and energy and tried to start a conversation with Ormat’s excellent engineers, but discovered that we couldn’t understand each other. I felt extremely frustrated,” he says. So his next step was to enroll in the regular program in chemical engineering at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, in parallel to his theoretical and basic-research doctoral studies in organic chemistry at BIU. Thus he completed simultaneously a PhD at BIU and a degree in chemical engineering from the Technion, both with highest distinction. After closing this communication gap and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, Prof. Aurbach returned to BIU, his alma mater, and in 1985 set up his electrochemical laboratory, basing it upon research and development collaborations with leading international and national energy companies. “Even then the industry understood that advances in technological energy solutions depend heavily on a profound knowledge of distinct scientific phenomena—how structure, morphology, surface chemistry, and various materials influence the electrochemical performance of, for example, electrodes. The energy companies needed our pioneering academic work, and through our collaborations we were, and still are, able to produce top-quality and impactful scientific work in this field.” Throughout the years, Prof. Aurbach has built numerous fruitful collaborations, from Japan in the east to the United States in the west, which provide him sufficient real-time funding to conduct the highest-level research projects. “In the last three years we have had a strategic collaboration with Nichia Corporation in Japan focusing on unique systems like lithium-sulfur and zinc-air batteries and optimization of storage systems for drones.” With the giant Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer Amperex Technology Limited (ATL), which produces billions of rechargeable batteries, Prof. Aurbach is striving to enlarge their voltage and energy density by at least 30%, while maintaining the number of charging cycles and their suitability for mobile equipment. “Success in this effort may be revolutionary,” he says. In Germany, Prof. Aurbach has a prominent collaboration with the chemical giant BASF. To establish this long-term collaboration with leading research groups in academia, BASF created a network of 10 leading research groups from Germany, Switzerland, Canada, the US, Japan and Israel (Prof. Aurbach’s group). “For 13 years, together we have developed new and advanced materials to improve It’s All about Communication “In the last three years we have had a strategic collaboration with Nichia Corporation in Japan focusing on unique systems like lithium-sulfur and zinc-air batteries and optimization of storage systems for drones” 30
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