Future Materials Battery Lab

A Li-ion battery consists of two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, an electrolyte and a separator separating the electrodes from each other. Li-ion batteries are a rechargeable type of battery where Li-ions move from the negative electrode (the anode) towards the positive electrode (the cathode) when discharging and the opposite direction during charging. The Li-ions move in an electrolyte where the main component is a Li-rich salt.

The battery lab can test different kind of battery cells; like small coin cells, a bit larger pouch cells and in the future cylindrical cells. The cells are placed in a battery testing device where the cells´ “battery capacity”, mAh/g, is measured. The maximum number of cycles or how long a cell withstands charging and discharging while maintaining storage capacity, is also measured.

Available equipment

• Milling and mixer equipment
  • Shaper mills
  • Dry and wet mixers (for composite materials)
  • Jet mills
  • Planetary ball mills
• Coating machine (Electrode Coating)
• Roll Press Machine (calendering)
• Vacuum Drying oven
• Disc cutter (Electrode Punching)
• Glove box
• Electrolyte injection
• Sealing Machine (Hydraulic sealing)
• Battery Tester (Battery Analyzer)

Examples of services

• Battery materials testing
• Electrode formulation and coating
  • Slurry viscosity
  • Wettability
  • Orientation
• Battery Cell testing
  • Capacity, first cycle efficiency, rate capability, cycling
  • Half coin cells
  • Full coin cells
  • Pouch cells
  • 3 electrode cells
• Materials properties
  • Tap density
  • Expansion (dilatometer, swell testing of silicon anodes)

Elkem also has extensive, complementary characterisation capabilities such as XRD, XRF, FEG-SEM, Particle size and shape, BET, AAS, ICP-MS. The battery lab is located close to Elkem Pilot Plant, an industrial R&D center with core competence in metallurgical high-temperature processes. The combination of a Battery Lab, Pilot Plant facilities and characterisation capabilities makes Elkem Technology/Future Materials well equipped for lab. scale, bench scale and pilot scale experiments.