HiStructures

HiStructures

Funding Sponsor: BMBF

Contact partners : Laura Gottschalk

Summary of the overall project:

The aim of the “HiStructures” project in the ProZell cluster is to significant increase the energy density of lithium-ion cells while simultaneously save material and manufacturing costs in order to create the conditions for a large-scale battery production in Germany. Within the framework of HiStructures, different process based structuring concepts as well as their combination with each other will be investigated (e.g. active material blends, gradient electrodes, multi-layer coating). In particular, the focus is on the combination of process-engineering and simulation. The simulations help to determine the optimal structure of the electrodes and, moreover, allow to identify and minimize loss mechanisms during battery operation. If successful, it would be possible to produce improved electrodes with a higher production throughput and thus lower costs. The further development of the processes up to a pilot scale will provide a comprehensive understanding of the process-structure-property relationships as well as the necessary know-how for a transfer to industrial production.

Fig.: structuring concepts within the project HiStructures

Objectives and tasks of the iPAT

• Significant increase in energy density through realization of ultra-thick electrodes with high area capacities (aim: 8-10 mAh/cm²)
• Concepts are being developed so that the challenging production of ultra-thick, double-sided coated high-energy electrodes can be realized continuously and cost-efficiently by using an extruder and a multi-layer slot die
• The increasing transport limitation can be eliminated by an optimization of the passive material distribution and hierarchical structuring of the electrodes (e.g. active material blends, gradient electrodes, multi-layer coating)

 
Project partners

TU Braunschweig – Institute of particle technology (iPAT), Institute of Joining and Welding Technology (ifs) and Institute of Energy and Process Systems Engineering (InES); ZSW – Accumulators Materials Research (ECM); Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Institute of Thermal Process Engineering (Thin Film Technology TFT); University Ulm – Institute of Stochastics; DLR at the HIU Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage – Electrochemical Multiphysics Modeling