Lars David Aili

Lars David Aili is an Associate Professor in the Department of Energy Conversion and Storage at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), specializing in electrochemical materials for sustainable energy systems. His work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals for clean energy and climate action through advanced membrane research for fuel cells and electrolyzers.

His research focuses on polymer electrolyte membranes, with expertise in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, alkaline water electrolysis, and vanadium redox flow batteries. Key investigations include membrane stability under operational stress, ionic conductivity optimization, mechanical property enhancement, and novel chemistries for CO₂ conversion and aluminum batteries. The fingerprint analysis reveals dominant themes in Material Science (100%), Polymer Electrolyte (71%), and Electrolyzer engineering (37%).

Recent publications (2025) demonstrate a clear trajectory toward high-performance membranes for extreme conditions, emphasizing reinforced polybenzimidazole composites for high-temperature fuel cells, sulfonated membranes for flow batteries, and tetrazole-functionalized polymers for alkaline electrolysis. This work consistently addresses durability challenges at elevated temperatures and high current densities while exploring new ion-solvating mechanisms.

No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided text.

Dr. Aili actively supervises five PhD candidates:

• W. Fontein (Durable alkaline ion-solvating membranes for electrolysis)
• G. D. Björkengren (Next generation electrolyzers for power-to-X)
• Y.-L. Kao (Bipolar polymer electrolytes for electrochemical CO₂ conversion)
• Y. Xia (Alkaline polymer electrolyte membranes for water electrolysis)
• D. Serhiichuk (Novel polymer electrolyte membranes for alkaline water electrolysis)

His research is funded through active projects including "Durable alkaline ion-solvating membranes for electrolysis" (2025-2028) and "Next generation electrolyzers for power-to-X" (2024-2027), with completed work on CO₂ conversion membranes and alkaline electrolysis systems.

He leads the Electrochemical Materials research group within DTU's Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, maintaining strong collaborations with Q. Li, J. O. Jensen, and M. R. Kraglund while engaging in international research networks across 12 countries.