SPINMATE

Project Description

In order to overcome the climate change issue, batteries has been proposed as a promising way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for the global warming. Therefore, considering their potential, guaranteeing the development and industrialisation of high-performance battery technologies is a strategic EU target in particular for the electric vehicle market. To date, the battery market is dominated by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) chemistries duo to their remarkable energy density and being cost-effective. However, conventional Li-ion batteries (LIB) are reaching their performance limits in terms of energy density and facing safety issues, being required the development and production of new battery generations, such as Solid-State Batteries (SSBs), to create a new industry value chain in Europe towards their commercialisation. Consequently, high-energy density EU-made SSBs will ensure the supply of, among others, the automotive sector. To do so, the development and deployment of new manufacturing technologies, enabling the large-scale production of SSBs, is crucial. Innovative and scalable manufacturing techniques to produce SSBs will accelerate cost reduction, energy savings and enhanced safety.

In this line, the SPINMATE project will commit the challenge of reaching the first milestone towards the large-scale manufacturing of generation 4b (Gen 4b) SSB cells, while demonstrating the cost-effective digital-driven proof-of-concept pilot line at a TRL6 level, that will comprise industry 4.0 and 5.0 digital manufacturing concepts. By means of different digitalisation approaches, SPINMATE processing and manufacturing innovations will contribute for: (i) a sustainable and competitive large-scale production of SSBs (i.e. based on market-oriented roadmap), (ii) the reduction of the carbon footprint, and (iii) enhancement of safety along the entire value chain. Furthermore, the SSB-based technologies developed in this project will contribute to achieving a mass electrification of the automotive sector, which has the enormous potential to reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions in 16 % by 2035. SPINMATE aims to impact on the battery industry, setting the bases for the manufacturing of the next generation of SSB cells, encompassing the development of materials for the anode, cathode and electrolyte components, the development of innovative and scalable manufacturing solutions, and the implementation of 4.0 and 5.0 concepts by means of digitalisation.

Tasks and targets of iPAT:

• Definition of the pilot line requirements for cell production in terms of production performances, equipment needs and safety
• Optimization of  the positive electrode composition
• Manufacturing the monolayer pouch cells aiming for a specific capacity in the defined layout
• Producing data by running experiments regarding cathode production by dry state method
• Driving empirical mathematical relation based on intermediate product properties and the resulting structural properties in dependence on the extrusion process parameters
• Manufacturing catholyte layer for large cell format using continuous extrusion process and dry coating
• Supporting the manufacturing of solid electrolyte layer for prototypes
• Supporting the manufacturing of large cells
• Assisting in environmental impact assessments

Contact:

Rezvan Karimi
rezvan.karimi(at)tu-braunschweig.de