Battery Materials: Next-Gen & Beyond Lithium Ion

As climate change concerns continue to drive interest in clean energy and our daily lives become increasingly digitized and dependent on electronics, electrification has become a widespread trend across almost every industry. The problem is that battery innovation hasn’t kept pace with the electric revolution. Charging time, available capacity, lifetime degradation, and costs are key performance areas that are lacking in batteries today.
While most efforts to enhance battery performance to date have been focused on battery chemistry, this has only led to incremental changes over the past 30 years. The key to the next step-change in battery performances lies within its structure.
This is what Addionics is doing - changing battery architecture to allow the next step-change in battery performance, to any battery chemistry, existing or emerging.

Today, battery performance is limited by active materials. Graphite storage ability is one of the bottlenecks we can solve using Silicon (Si). Our nanoSi and microSi are based on elemental Si; we call our materials REALSiTM, which is not an oxide, nor produced by Silane gas. Advano converts metallurgical Si, including scrap, into battery-grade REALSiTM using proprietary material science technology. REALSiTM offers tailor-made solutions to both solid-state and liquid-electrolyte batteries. We are open to partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of real Si. The next major evolution in batteries is real Si; our team envisions having REALSiTM in every battery.

The silicon nanowire anode technology addresses silicon swelling by enabling silicon to expand and contract internally, in a very robust mechanical structure. As a result, over 1200 Wh/L and 450 Wh/kg levels of energy density were achieved in lithium-ion cells with a cycle life in the hundreds of cycles and fast charging in under 10 minutes, enabling new devices and applications.

BlueSolutions has been commercializing all-solid state batteries since 2011. EVs, buses and stationary applications are the main targets of its research and development program. After more than 15 years, this Bolloré group subsidiary masters all the industrial processes for the production of a unique solid state battery technology. The know-how goes from the transformation of the lithium ingots to the integration of the battery packs within the applications. Importantly, a low-ecological footprint process has been stated for both the positive electrode and the polymer electrolyte manufacturing.
In order to get incomparable energy densities, today, all the industrial actors of lithium batteries are hardly working on the lithium metal technology. In this context, BlueSolutions has a unique 10 years feedback regarding both the behavior of this special anode and of the solid-state electrolyte.
After having spread the first pack generation for 8 years all-over the world, an optimized 650V battery pack addressing the e-buses market is being delivered for one year. To match with customers expectations this new generation offers optimized performance and a very long cyclability. In the meanwhile, BlueSolutions has already started working on its future generation products. While the current battery is LFP-based and cycles at a nominal temperature of 80°C, a lot of efforts are dedicated to improve the actual chemistry. Research programs are conducted on the development of a new positive electrode with higher energy density, new electrolytes that will be compatible with high-voltage materials and which have high conductivity at ambient temperature and optimized lithium electrode. In fine, the goal is to keep the intrinsic safety of the polymer solid electrolyte, while benefiting from the promising performances of new electrode materials.

Through a broad portfolio of advanced carbons that includes carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon black (CB), and carbon nanostructures (CNS), Cabot Corp. has brought the world leading solutions of conductive carbons for lithium ion batteries (LIBs).

Cabot’s research and development team has worked to optimize the usage and function of conductive materials in LIBs. In cathodes, high aspect ratio CNTs, show clear benefits in imparting electronic conductivity at the lowest loadings across an electrode film. While, aciniform carbons, CBs, can make many contact points with lithium containing active materials for efficient ionic conductivity, as well as provide the space necessary for Li+ transport, while balancing the cost and processability challenges of CNTs. In silicon containing anodes, CNS is a new class of novel crosslinked CNT materials that greatly improve the cycle life of the cell. This has been shown through electrochemical testing of model cells.

Conductive carbons continue to be a key material technology in LIB. Cabot continues to work to optimize their function in LIBs with the goal of enabling LIB makers to develop winning cell designs by pushing developments in energy density and cycle life among others.

The cathode material gives a lithium-ion cell its decisive characteristics. It is therefore an important factor, especially with regard to the ever-increasing demands on energy density. We would like to show you which special parameters are important when choosing the right cathode material and we will go into the current trends and developments in this area. We will not only share information about the electrochemical characteristics but also examine challenges in processing, the cell design and the economic as well as ecologic components.

A major improvement for the next generation of Li-ion batteries is the introduction of silicon as material for the anode, bringing capacity and fast charging to the next level. The biggest challenge of applying silicon-dominant anodes in Li-ion batteries, is silicon's tendency to expand during cycling.

E-magy has invented and manufactures micron-sized silicon particles with nanopores that overcome this challenge by containing that expansion within the nanopores themselves. Li-ion batteries with anodes made of E-magy silicon hold 40% more energy than those made of graphite. It's the low-cost, drop-in solution compatible with existing production lines that the EV industry needs – as currently verified by R&D managers of more than a dozen leading automotive and battery manufacturer brands.

Solid-state batteries combining an alkali metal anode and a high-voltage cathode have the potential to double the energy density of current-generation rechargeable batteries. We recently demonstrated the integration of hydroborate solid electrolytes with a 4 V class cathode through in-situ formation of a passivating interface layer. Combined with their high ionic conductivity > 1 mS/cm at room temperature, low gravimetric density 1.2 g/cm3, low toxicity, high thermal and chemical stability, stability vs lithium and sodium metal, soft mechanical properties enabling cold pressing, compatibility with solution infiltration, and potential for low cost, hydroborate electrolytes represent a promising option for a competitive next-generation solid-state battery technology.

Why bother with fast charge for EV batteries? Charge rate goes beyond driver convenience - it addresses core EV adoption issues such as addressing the fact that only 20% of cars have access to overnight charging, fast charging helps improve existing infrastructure utilization, and it supports drivers becoming more comfortable with less expensive vehicles that have shorter range lowering the price for those vehicles. Enevate is a battery technology company supplying breakthrough Extreme Fast Charge Technology with its pure silicon-dominant cells that are solving these crucial EV adoption issues.

The lithium/ electrolyte interphase is still a bottleneck for efficient and reversible ionic transport in solid state batteries.
In this presentation alternative anode concepts based on 100 % silicon, silicon/carbon composites and porous carbons will be introduced.
All material concepts have been investigated in thiophosphate-based solid state batteries and performance data will be discussed.

A stable solid-state electrolyte material is only part of the solution to an all-solid- state Lithium battery. Li ionic conductivity in cathode is as important for energy density, power density and charge rate. The morphology of metallic lithium formed on electrolyte surface when charging is a major factor controlling the safety and cycle life.
This presentation will discuss the cathode and anode development at Front Edge Technology for a LiCoO2/LiPON/Li battery system.

Solid-state battery cells offer the ability to host high energy density lithium metal while affording safety above that of state-of-the-art lithium-ion cells due to the use of non-flammable electrolytes and dense layers that cannot be easily punctured by lithium dendrites. Ion Storage Systems (ION) employs a high-ionic conductivity garnet-based electrolyte capable of lithium metal plating without degradation at a wide range of operating temperatures.
In many solid-state cell architectures pursued to date, lithium metal plating directly leads to cell internal volume changes. Ensuring consistent lithium plating over a planar surface necessitates external compression which can add to cell and pack overhead costs while decreasing the overall specific energy density of the system as a whole. ION’s solid-state electrolyte is incorporated into cells in a bilayer structure that allows lithium to plate within the confines of a porous ceramic layer which is sintered on a cathode-separating dense ceramic layer. This structure enables constant-volume cells which can host a multitude of cathodes and enable simplified application integration, high energy density and prolonged cycle life.

Solid State Batteries are expected to outperform incumbent liquid-based battery technologies thanks to potential safety and performance advantages. SSBs have the potential to improve and even enable new application over a wide Wh-level range: from micro-batteries powering Augmented Reality smart contact lenses and perpetual Internet of Things sensors; to pouch cells providing safer and lighter power to cordless domestic devices and longer range to electric vehicles and new aerospace applications. Yet, after a few decades of R&D, the commercialisation of small SSB is only recent and that our larger format pouch cells still around the corner. This presentation will compare and contrast the various challenges and choices of chemistries, processes and engineering solutions necessary for the development of mWh level micro batteries to the full commercialisation of SSB modules at GWh level.

Solid state #electrolytes (SSEs) can improve safety of batteries due to the reduced possibility of thermal runaway that is more likely to occur in the presence of liquid electrolytes used in lithium ion batteries. However, lack of scalable processes allowing to produce SSEs with the necessary combination of thickness, uniformity, interfacial impedance and mechanical strength, hinders commercialization of solid-state batteries (SSBs).

Whether as glass or in ceramic form, SSEs usually require high temperature sintering or vapor deposition to consolidate the films and manage interfacial impedance. The resulting films are brittle, and available manufacturing methods are limited to production of tiny cells with low capacity.

LiCAP Technologies, Inc. has a patented Activated Dry Electrode technology, which makes processing of battery materials more cost-effective and sustainable and, is uniquely suitable for handling of sensitive SSB materials. R2R Activated Dry Electrode process is already proven on industrial scale in world’s fastest manufacturing of ultracapacitor electrodes and has been piloted in R2R production of electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. In 2022 LiCAP will launch development of scalable R2R process for the solid-state battery industry.

As vast investment continues to pour into the solid-state battery development arena, many automotive OEM’s are projecting Start of Production within the next five years. Although there is no clear winner for the solid-state electrolyte, room temperature lithium-ion conductivity comparable with that of the liquid carbonate incumbent has been demonstrated at the laboratory and pilot plant scales. There are multiple options for the anode, ranging from thin lithium metal to “anode-less” in-situ generation to carbon-free high-loading silicon. Most work on the cathode has been focused on supply for current lithium-ion battery configurations, without recognizing the huge opportunity the move to solid-state provides, enabling lithium-free and high voltage options as well as the possibility of step-change reductions in cost. This talk will provide an overview of current developments in cathodes and project likely winners as solid-state batteries near commercialization.

Nanoramic’s Neocarbonix™ at the Core technology enables Tier-I battery companies and automotive OEMs to achieve next-gen battery performance using existing equipment and manufacturing processes.
Neocarbonix™ at the Core uses PVDF-free cathode electrodes manufactured with an NMP-free coating process, resulting in environmentally friendly, lower-cost, high-power and energy-dense batteries that are compatible with any cathode chemistry. Neocarbonix™ at the Core is also an enabler of Si-dominant anodes, using a water-based coating process and inexpensive forms of Si.

Increasing battery demand and requirements towards high performance cells are pushing lithium-ion technology to its limits. Recent developments in solid-state technology have led to a high level of media attention, and both start-ups and large cell manufacturers are intensively working on the industrialization of their next-generation technology as major challenge. The competitiveness of currently leading players regarding technology, scalability and costs aspects will be evaluated and discussed in the presentation.

While the electric vehicle market is growing exponentially, there are still significant issues with the lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that are powering those vehicles. Auto companies are still looking for batteries that can provide longer driving ranges, can be charged in the same amount of time as today’s petrol cars, can start at temperatures as low as -30 oC and are safer than today batteries, which may have thermal runaways or fires in accidents and upon charging. Prieto is developing an advanced 3-dimensional (3D), solid-state, rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that will address these issues and enable a complete transition to electric vehicles.
Prieto’s advanced 3D batteries will have higher energy density than today’s Li-ion batteries, which translates to significantly longer ranges in electric vehicles. The 3D batteries can be charged in 3 to 15 minutes and can operate at temperatures ranging from -30 oC to 120 oC. In addition, these batteries will be safer than traditional Li-ion batteries, since they use a solid polymer electrolyte versus a liquid electrolyte, thus eliminating possible thermal runaways and fires.
While improving the performance of the batteries is paramount to improving electric vehicle performance and enabling a complete transition to electric vehicles, being able to manufacture at low-cost and high-volume is equally important. The design of Prieto’s 3D battery was done with low-cost, sustainable, and high-volume manufacturing in mind from the very early stages of development, enabling a faster transition to full scale commercial manufacturing.

In all growth markets, maximum throughput at the lowest possible costs is essential for success!
SALD has developed a unique technology that makes this possible, which is protected by several patents. This technology has been incorporated into a compact machine that can be used for research as well as for small-scale production. It does not matter which material is involved: battery electrode, solar cell, OLED or foil. Moreover, SALD is the only company in the world that has the expertise to subsequently quickly and reliably upscale the Spatial ALD technology to high volume production.
In Spatial ALD (SALD) precursors are continuously supplied in different locations and kept apart by an inert gas region or zone. Film growth is achieved by exposing the substrate to the locations containing the different precursors. The process is very fast and compatible with fast-throughput techniques such as roll-to-roll (R2R) and is versatile and cheap to scale up. In addition, one of the main assets of SALD is that it can be performed at ambient pressure and even in the open air, while not compromising the deposition rate.

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Advancements in the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries have slowed down in the last decade. As conventional electrode materials approach their theoretical limits, substantial gains in battery energy density only come as a trade-off in safety or performance. This talk will introduce an innovative drop-in-replacement nanocomposite, silicon-based anode powder that offers over five times higher gravimetric capacity than graphite and enables up to 20% more energy density today over state-of-the-art lithium-ion, enabling radical product innovation, without performance compromise. This material is shipping today. With Sila’s industrialized and scaled scientific innovation, wearables, portable electronics, and electric vehicle manufacturers can create breakthrough products today that will benefit our environmental impact tomorrow.

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The current worldwide effort to electrify the private transport sector is based on the availability of Li-ion cells with high specific energy, long cycle life and acceptable cost. Electrodes and electrolytes materials play a fundamental role in determining the performances of Li-ion cells. The use of critical raw materials, such as cobalt and graphite, is a crucial aspect for the LIBs market and novel materials have to be developed. Computational materials science is widely used to design new materials and to optimize the properties of the existing ones: in the field of Li-ion cells this approach led to a deeper understanding of many chemical-physical phenomena associated with the operation of the cell. After a general introduction, the main computational approaches to simulate the Li-ion cells materials will be presented including DFT methods and molecular dynamics. Finally the talk will concentrate on the development of a robust and predictive DFT method for the description of a disordered cubic Li2TiS3 system, a cobalt-free high capacity material showing promising properties as cathode in all-solid-state Li batteries.

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Li-ion batteries have become the primary technology of choice for many applications in the consumer electronics industry and empowered the electric vehicle (EV). However, the flammable liquid electrolyte of Li-ion battery is responsible for safety issues, such as electrolyte leakage, fire, or explosion. In addition, the demand for higher energy density, fast charging capability, lower cost, and safer EVs has recently created a resurgence of interest in solid-state batteries. In its talk, Yole Développement will present the advantages of solid-state batteries over conventional Li-ion batteries as well as the challenges associated with their development, like low ionic conductivity, poor wettability of solid electrolytes, high operating temperature, etc. Solid-state battery manufacturers must achieve battery production processes that are scalable and compatible with existing lithium-ion production technology to remain successful in the overfilled market. Bringing solid-state technology to mass production is a difficult task.

Therefore, partnerships are more important than ever to get all the necessary solid-state battery know-how together: technology, equipment, high-volume / high-yield production, and end-systems. Today, many batteries and automotive manufacturers have presented their target roadmaps for mass production to secure a leadership role in the solid-state battery market despite the remaining technology and supply chain challenges.

The solid-state battery is considered the ultimate battery technology for next-generation battery systems. Based on the achievement of technology milestones and growing supply chain collaborations, Yole Développement expects that solid-state battery commercialization will start in about 2025. However, small-scale production may happen even earlier. The intensive development efforts of EV/HEV makers and their partners will result in a progressive adoption of the solid-state battery as a “premium” battery in the 2025-2030 period. After further optimization and production scaling, solid-state batteries will spread to other applications, but their high added value will remain mainly in e-mobility applications. Yole Dévelopment will analyze the key success factors for mass production of solid-state batteries.