When testing battery materials and their performance, material manufacturers, cell manufacturers, and OEMs all have to generate a large volume of data and optimize numerous parameters. In this context, they encounter challenges like speed, reproducibility, cost, and the need to capture all relevant parameters in a consistent data set.
One key component in the testing of battery materials is determining the electrochemical performance of the materials. This entails the identification of relevant KPIs, such as discharge capacity in the first cycle or at the start of measurement, stability over multiple cycles, performance at different charge/discharge rates, and various methods of measuring resistance.
Similarly to catalysis, at hte our battery materials testing involves the use of elements for scaling commercial processes down to the laboratory scale, as well as modularization, parallelization, automation and digitalization. This approach enables us to support our customers in testing established battery materials, as well as solid-state batteries, sodium-ion batteries, dry coating processes, and in preparing for a potential ban on fluorinated chemicals.
hte’s cathode material workflow allows for a seamless transition from material synthesis to cell testing. High-quality CAM precursors can be produced either by us through precipitation, calcination, and, if necessary, subsequent washing and impregnation steps, or they can be provided by our customers. Following the production of the electrodes, we carry out the following tests based on requirements: button cell tests on half or full cells, powder tests in commercial equipment for solid-state battery materials, and pouch cell tests for Li-ion and solid-state battery materials.
Our customers then enjoy the following benefits from this approach:
We focus on tailor-made solutions for the specific needs of our customers. Both the “starting point”, i.e. the source material, and the type of testing vary from customer to customer. However, our customers are mostly concerned with battery materials in powder form. These can be active materials (cathode active material/anode active material), binders, carbon sources, or additives. In this case, we adapt or develop suitable preparation parameters for the production of electrodes (anode/cathode) and then test the materials. Alternatively, we can also carry out tests with electrodes that have already been produced or with complete test cells in our laboratories.
We offer the following electrochemical tests:
The design of the individual tests varies quite markedly. These tests can include the following individual components:
Button cells and single-layer pouch cells are often used as half or full cells to evaluate battery materials. The electrodes required for this are produced in a multi-stage process from the components active material, binders, additives and solvents, which are applied, dried and compressed as liquid slurry onto a current trap. In the last step, these electrodes are assembled into a test cell with the addition of electrolyte.
Battery materials must have different properties for use in solid-state batteries than in Li-ion cells. Special test procedures in powder cells and pouch cells are therefore used in both the development and assessment of these materials. However, characterizing materials in powder form represents a major challenge, as this process has remained largely non-standardized to date. hte therefore relies on commercially available cells and a preparation process developed in our own laboratories that significantly improves reproducibility. This workflow allows many relevant components, such as active material and electrolyte, to be comprehensively assessed and characterized with regard to their expansion properties.
Customers worldwide rely on our lab-scale R&D workflows, which combine reactor systems, precise analytics, and customized software solutions with in-depth application knowledge.
hte not only offers flexible lab facilities, time-saving catalyst and materials research, and the development of efficient processes – it also supports R&D teams at various stages of their research journey. Our specialists, for example, help with their expert knowledge in formulating and adjusting research and development strategies, assessing technologies, and evaluating studies.
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