Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LeydenJar (Boosting Battery Energy Density in Electric Vehicles)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2017-04-01 do 2017-08-31
The bottle neck is in the anode layer of Li-ion battery cells. Graphite anodes have reached their current theoretical maximum. Silicone is a better material, with the potential to hold a tenfold capacity over graphite anodes. However, pure silicon expands when it is used as battery material, leading to mechanical instability after 2-3 cycles of loading and unloading.
We have found a solution to make pure silicon anodes, without the associated problem of breaking apart. The impact on energy density is an increase of 50%, leading to the highest energy density of battery cells seen thusfar in the world. The potential impact on the acceptance of electronic vehicles and storage of renewable energy is very significant.
The objective of this EASME study is to investigate the ability to scale up our production tool of making pure silicon anodes, leading to a potential cost parity with the existing anode production process.
Adjustment of electrolyte to fit with pure silicon.
Creating a thicker anode layer (50x scale up) to 7-10 micron
Cell balancing in coin cell and pouch cells
Increasing the coulombic efficiency and cycle life
The feasibility study was aimed at modeling the total existing cost of graphite production, cost modeling of our roll-to-roll PECVD production tool, benchmarking, and assessing the roadmap of a scale up in terms of realistic assumptions, technical abilities and engineering requirement. Furthermore assessed the technical fit with the overall battery manufacturing process, and the strategic advantages of producing on a one step process rather than a five step coating process.
We have concluded that the PECVD tool has the ability to be scaled up for application in a large battery manufacturing plant, and that it can reach cost parity with the existing coating process in due course. We are now preparing a new machine track to do R&D on the existing machine, to see if we can improve the key speed vectors, and to prepare a base plant demonstrating high speed production and generating pure silicon anode rolls for use in testing programs.