Battery Professionals Organization Hosts Webinar on Advanced Analytical Technologies. Here's a Recap.

Editor’s Note: A recent webinar hosted by the Volta Foundation featured experts from Thermo Fisher Scientific discussing advanced analytical technologies in the battery industry. The session highlighted critical advancements in electrode mixing, composition analysis, and defect detection, offering insights into how these technologies improve battery manufacturing processes.

Volta Foundation is the largest global network of battery professionals, with over 75,000 members. The organization supports the battery industry’s growth through numerous programs, including webinars, career fairs, conferences, and publications like the Annual Battery Report. Their initiatives are open access, aiming to foster collaboration, networking, and professional development within the battery sector.

Here’s a recap of the Webinar: Advances in Analytical Technologies for Battery Electrode Mixing, Composition Control, Coating, and Defect Detection

Key Technologies and Insights

Twin Screw Mixing for Electrode Materials

Presented by Annika Voelp: Twin screw mixing technology enhances the quality of active electrode materials by applying thermal and mechanical energy to create a uniform dispersion. This method offers several advantages over traditional planetary mixers, including better reproducibility, reduced manual operation, superior dispersion quality, fewer impurities, and faster processing times.

Applications: Twin screw mixers are used for various battery materials, including silicon anodes and solvent-free cathode materials. They are effective in both wet and dry electrode processing, providing scalability from lab-scale experiments to full production.

Process Control: Parameters such as screw design, speed, feed rates, and mixer temperature are critical in achieving optimal mixing and ensuring consistent quality.

Raman Spectroscopy for Process Monitoring

Presented by Janam Pandya: Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive, rapid analytical technique that provides real-time insights into the molecular composition of battery materials. It is valuable for monitoring the homogeneity and concentration of active materials in real-time, which is crucial for maintaining quality during the manufacturing process.

Applications: Raman spectroscopy is used in various stages of battery production, including material characterization, electrode manufacturing, and electrolyte filling. It helps in identifying non-homogeneities and ensuring consistent material properties.

Advantages: The technique is fast, requires no sample preparation, and can measure through packaging materials. It provides both qualitative and quantitative data, making it suitable for inline process monitoring.

Inline Mass Profilometry for Electrode Coating

Presented by Alon Vaisman: Inline mass profilometry is a novel technology that measures the active material loading on the entire electrode during the coating process. This technology captures a complete side-to-side loading profile every millisecond, offering a comprehensive mapping of the electrode at full production speeds.
Benefits: This method ensures uniformity in active material loading, which is critical for the electrochemical balance and performance of the battery cell. It helps in identifying defects, such as streaks and variations in loading, which traditional single-point sensors might miss.
Integration and Data Management: The system can be integrated with plant control systems to enable real-time process adjustments. It also supports data storage and retrieval for process analysis and quality control.

Conclusion

The advancements in analytical technologies presented during the webinar are pivotal in enhancing the quality and efficiency of battery manufacturing. Twin screw mixing, Raman spectroscopy, and inline mass profilometry offer significant improvements in material processing, real-time monitoring, and defect detection. These technologies ensure that battery manufacturers can produce high-quality, high-performance batteries while minimizing waste and reducing costs.