Newsletter #3 / July 2023

Summer is here and many colleagues are taking some time off for recreation, spending time with their families and getting a moment of tranquility in an otherwise rushing world.

Before leaving for a short summer break, we want to share with you the latest updates from the SUBLIME project.

Deliverables

D4.4, D4.5, and D5.2, D5.3 – pouch cell design and manufacturing of lab-scale pouch cells
The deliverables…

- D4.4 – Report on layer processing towards upscaling

- D4.5 – Report on monolayer pouch cell assembly

- D5.2 – Report on prototype cell design

- D5.3 – Results of the process upscaling benchmarking for cathode and solid electrolyte layer

…have been submitted. These four documents summarize our efforts towards scaling of the sulfide-based all-solid-state battery manufacturing and processing steps and include the cell design for the final demonstrators. Some highlights of the deliverables are given below:

• Extrusion has been identified as promising processing technology as it combines intensive mixing and therefore a homogenous distribution of materials with a high throughput, suitable for the fabrication large quantities.

• More work is required regarding post-processing and densification of prepared electrolyte films and composite electrode layers. Uniaxial pressing and calendering are investigated and compared for this task.

• 3x3 cm² NMC811|Li/In cells in small monolayer pouch cell format have been prepared, delivering nominal capacities of 25 mAh.

• The design of the cell components as well as the cycling pressure device have been developed for preparation and testing of the final 10 Ah prototype cells, with regard to the targeted energy densities of 450 Wh/kg and 1200 Wh/l.

D4.6 – interface characterization

The deliverable D4.6 - Report on solid-to-solid interface characterization reports on the characterization of the different interfaces in the SUBLIME all-solid-state battery cell. Interfacial resistances between the different layers of the battery cell have been identified as one of the major bottlenecks for proper electrochemical performance; they can be caused by several phenomena, including lack of contact and formation of highly resistive interphases. Therefore, an extensive experimental study has been conducted to identify the underlying mechanisms of interfacial resistances and to develop strategies to overcome them.

Figure 1, SUBLIME interface characterization.

D7.2 mechanism Li transport

Li transport on the anode side is highly important for realizing Li-metal batteries for increased energy density. D7.2 - Mechanism of Li transport and dendrite formation in all solid battery summarizes our activities in this field by physics-based multiscale modelling. Li dendrite formation and propagation has been modeled in Argyrodite electrolytes and the effect of temperature and current density has been investigated.

Figure 2, SUBLIME mechanism Li transport.

Milestones

One milestone, i.e. assembly of pouch cells (up to 40 mAh), was reached after submission of D4.5. By now, a total of six milestones have been completed.

Upcoming milestones include

• the delivery of materials at kg scale

Major results so far

New generation of sulfide-based solid electrolyte
A new generation of the sulfide-based solid-electrolyte has been developed with approx. twice the ionic conductivity compared to the previous generation. This material will advance our efforts to develop high power battery cells, which rely on high ionic conductivities for low internal resistances, especially at high current densities.

Conferences & Events

During the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, SUBLIME was presented at several conferences, workshops, and events.

SUBLIME @ Holst Centre Innovation Day

Ömer Ulaş Kudu (TNO) presented SUBLIME during the Holst Centre Innovation Day.

Figure 3, SUBLIME represented at Holst Centre Innovation Day.

SUBLIME @ ECerS 2023

Alexander BEUTL (AIT) presented results on the wet-chemical processing of sulfide-based solid electrolyte films in Lyon during the 18th Conference and Exhibition of the European Ceramic Society from 2nd to 6th of July:

• The impact of solvents on wet-chemical processing of sulfide-based solid electrolytes (Alexander BEUTL/ AIT; oral)

Figure 4, SUBLIME represented at 18th ECerS 2023 in Lyon, France.

SUBLIME @ ECSSC 2023

Artur TRON(AIT) participated in the European Conference on Solid State Chemistry 2023 in Prague which took place from the9th to 12th of July, where he presented some new insightsregarding the critical current density of sulfide-based electrolytes:

• Critical current density of Li6PS5Clpowder pellets and processed films (Artur TRON/ AIT; oral)

Figure 5, SUBLIME represented at ECSSC18 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Furthermore,SUBLIME held its 7th general assembly meeting in Brussels which tookplace from the 19th to 20th of April under the patronageof our partner ABEE.

Figure 6, SUBLIME held its 7th generalassembly meeting in Brussels.

Upcoming Events

It is going to be an exciting autumn and winter 2023/2024 and we look forward to meeting our colleagues and supporters around the world at some of the long-awaited upcoming events.

- Save the date – the Innovation and Networking days on All-Solid-State Battery Technologies will be held on the 27th and 28th of September 2023. This joint event brings all projects funded under the Horizon 2020 Program LC-BAT-01-2019 together in a hybrid meeting (face-to-face & online). It will be open to everyone from academia to industry. The event venue will be at @CEA Minatec in Grenoble, France. In this meeting, you will have the opportunity to hear the latest innovations and technologies from the Battery Alliances and industry speakers (materials, manufacturing and end-users) and learn more about the H2020 projects, i.e. @SUBLIME, @ASTRABAT, @SAFELiMOVE and @SOLIDIFY. The agenda has been set up and can be found here https://sublime-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AST-final-event-agenda.pdf

Figure 7, SUBLIMEpresents results and data on Innovation and networking days on all-solid-statebattery technologies.

Publications

Film processing of Li6PS5Cl electrolyte using different binders and their combinations, Journal of Energy Storage 66 (2023) 107480.

Artur Tron, Hamid Raad, Ningxin Zhang, Andrea Paolella, Paul Wulfert-Holzmann, Vladislav Kolotygin, Pedro López-Aranguren, Alexander Beutl.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2023.107480

Figure 8,SUBLIME presents the results in publication of Journal of Energy Storage 66(2023) 107480.

Meet the TEAM

The Meet the TEAM section on the project homepage has been updated, featuring now our colleagues from POL, CRF and IST/TUB. Find out about their role in the project and what it means for them to work in the field of battery science.