Lithium-ion batteries

In general, electrodes for lithium-ion batteries are composed of a metallic substrate, an electrochemically active material (e. g. graphite or silicon composites for the anode as well as lithium metal oxides or lithium metal phosphates for the cathode), conductive additives to support the electron transport and a polymer to ensure the adhesion of the particles among each other as well as to the current collector.

A wet chemical process is necessary to apply the above mentioned materials on the metallic substrates. For this purpose, the particles are dispersed in a suitable solvent. Subsequently, the resulting slurry is applied on corresponding substrates by means of different coating processes.

ZBT deals intensely with the choice of materials, tailoring of the electrode com­po­sition, the dispersion of the components and the coating process to realise electrodes with a high power and energy density.

ZBT has different potentiostates, battery test systems and temperature chambers for the electrochemical characterisation of the battery electrodes as well as devices for the physical characterisation of the slurries and electrodes available.