SGL Group – The Carbon Company – has given this year's Utz-Hellmuth Felcht Award to Professor Hui-Ming Cheng from the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science (China), for his work on three-dimensional graphene networks for energy storage. Using chemical vapor deposition of graphene on a nickel substrate, he produced three-dimensionally networked, electrically conductive and flexible carbon networks. This was necessary to create flexible lithium-ion batteries with a high capacity and very fast charging and discharging capabilities.
The award ceremony took place at the Annual World Conference on Carbon 2015, which was held in Dresden from July 12 to 17. The award, given every two years, is endowed with prize money of €5,000 and was being presented for the third time. It recognizes exceptionally innovative scientific and technical achievements in the field of carbon and SiC-based ceramics and is named in honor of Professor Utz-Hellmuth Felcht, long-standing Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SGL Group.
The first award winner, in 2011, was Professor Walter de Heer from US university Georgia Tech for his innovative research into graphene-based electronics. Two years later, he was followed by Professor Klaus Müllen of the Max Planck Institute in Mainz for his work on the chemical synthesis of graphene.
Dr. Gerd Wingefeld, responsible for Technology and Innovation on the Board of Management of SGL Group, comments: "Energy storage is one of this year's global megatrends. With his research into three-dimensional graphene networks, Professor Hui-Ming Cheng has made a major contribution to ongoing development in that field. We wish to recognize this achievement and provide financial support by presenting the Utz-Hellmuth Felcht Award."