CIC energiGUNE, the Basque research center of reference in electrochemical energy storage, thermal energy storage and conversion and hydrogen technologies, has obtained the ´POLiS Award for Excellence for Women Researchers´, granted by the ´Post-Lithium´ Energy Storage Cluster of Excellence. This organization, composed of prestigious German institutions that aim to develop alternative storage technologies to lithium (such as sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium), awards each year a prize to an "outstanding female researcher whose career is in early or mid-career and who works on one of the scientific topics of the POLiS Cluster".
"I see the award of this prize as recognition of the work I have already done, but, above all, of what is to come," said Dr. Arnaiz. In this sense, the award involves up to 70,000 euros for one or more research stays at one of the participating POLiS institutions (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Ulm, Baden-Württemberg Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Center and University of Giessen) to establish and strengthen international collaborations.
The CIC energiGUNE scientist received the award in Ulm during the POLiS Annual Meeting, which took place on June 20-21. In addition to being the protagonist of the award ceremony of the "Excellence Award for Women Researchers", Dr. Arnaiz also gave a lecture on her professional career, with special attention to her work on pre-metallation strategies and their subsequent scaling up to the development of multilayer cells.
María Arnaiz is currently an Associate Researcher at CIC energiGUNE, where she is part of the Cell Prototyping Research Group and works in the research line of metal-ion capacitors, within the Electrochemical Storage Area.
Arnaiz´s trajectory at CIC energiGUNE dates back to 2015, where he arrived as a summer student for a period of 2 months. During this time, he started his first steps in the synthesis and characterization of cathode materials for sodium ion batteries. In 2016 he did his Master Thesis, aligning his work on sodium ion capacitor technology, and in 2017 he did his PhD also at the Basque center, continuing his research on the development of lithium and sodium ion capacitors.
In 2020 she definitively joined CIC energiGUNE as a Postdoctoral Researcher to the Prototyping Group, and in 2022 she obtained a permanent position. Currently, her research work focuses on the scaling of metal ion capacitor technology, from electrode processing to cell development and optimization. María Arnaiz participates in several national, European and industrial projects, where she focuses on developing technologies that help environmental sustainability. In addition, with the aim of disseminating science among future female scientists, she also participates in STEAM activities..
The POLiS Excellence Cluster develops new battery materials and technological concepts needed for efficient and sustainable storage of electrical energy. The members of the partnership have identified sustainable alternatives that no longer rely on lithium and other critical materials, and as a consequence, are researching batteries based on sodium, magnesium, calcium, and aluminum ions. These so-called post-lithium batteries have the potential to store more energy, be safer, and offer a more cost-effective long-term option for mass applications such as stationary and mobile electrochemical storage.
