Does micro-level manufacturing affect the energy density of EV batteries?

Besides the cell manufacturing, “macro”-level manufacturing from cell to battery system could affect the final energy density and the total cost, especially for the EV battery system. The energy density of the EV battery system increased from less than 100 to ∼200 Wh/kg during the past decade (Löbberding et al., 2020).

Are lithium-ion batteries a viable energy storage solution?

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become one of the main energy storage solutions in modern society. The application fields and market share of LIBs have increased rapidly and continue to show a steady rising trend. The research on LIB materials has scored tremendous achievements.

How can a solvent recovery process be used in battery manufacturing?

Thus a solvent recovery process is necessary for the cathode production during drying and the recovered NMP is reused in battery manufacturing with 20%–30% loss (Ahmed et al., 2016). For the water-based anode slurry, the harmless vapor can be exhausted to the ambient environment directly.

How can battery manufacturing improve energy density?

The new manufacturing technologies such as high-efficiency mixing, solvent-free deposition, and fast formation could be the key to achieve this target. Besides the upgrading of battery materials, the potential of increasing the energy density from the manufacturing end starts to make an impact.

Can aqueous based cathode slurry be used for battery production?

Although the aqueous-based cathode slurry is easy to be transferred to the current coating technology without extra cost, the sacrifice of capacity and cycle stability is not acceptable for battery production. Solvent-free manufacturing emerges as an effective method to skip the drying process and avoid the organic solvent.

What is battery manufacturing process?

Figure 1 introduces the current state-of-the-art battery manufacturing process, which includes three major parts: electrode preparation, cell assembly, and battery electrochemistry activation. First, the active material (AM), conductive additive, and binder are mixed to form a uniform slurry with the solvent.