Battery Materials and Cell Manufacturing

RISE Battery Lab has facilities for small-scale battery production using methods similar to those used in the industry. 

Our teams of material chemists, electrochemists, and engineers have robust experience in all aspects of the battery cell fabrication process. Commercially accepted methods and protocols are used during cell fabrication for benchmarking the newly developed materials with the standard battery components.

Here, it is possible to evaluate the entire process, from the homogeneity and distribution of particles in the slurry to the characterization of electrode structure and adhesion to the foil.

New battery materials such as electrolytes, binders, and other components can be evaluated at two different scaling levels: button cells and pouch cells (0.3-1 Ah).

The first step in the process is mixing the battery slurry. Planetary mixing equipment is available from a few milliliters up to 5 liters. There are also alternative methods available for more energy-efficient mixing. Standard characterization such as rheology and particle distribution measurements are made.

The next step is coating the foil to the desired thickness with a “sheet coater,” after which the foil is dried. Adhesion to the substrate can be measured in a “peel test.” Advanced analysis equipment is available for structure and element analysis.

An initial evaluation is done at the button cell level. For better reproducibility, pouch cells with higher capacity are made to investigate electrode mass loading, electrode density, porosity, and other cell technical parameters.

RISE has state-of-the-art battery cell characterization facilities with multiple battery cyclers covering various current ranges up to 60 A. We can perform all types of performance measurements such as specific capacity, voltage window, maximum charge and discharge current, long-term cycling, state-of-health, specific energy, and impedance.

We also have a precision potentiostat for advanced cell evaluation in a three-electrode configuration (Swagelok), in operando analysis such as Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. There are also chambers to perform the electrochemical tests under different temperature conditions.