Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS
At Fraunhofer IKTS, we have developed novel solvent-reduced coating processes that are revolutionizing electrode production—making it more sustainable, efficient, and safe. Our semi-dry extrusion process revolutionizes the production of high-performance battery components, meeting the stringent standards of modern energy storage solutions. By minimizing liquid content, this method ensures consistent quality and efficiency while optimizing material shaping.
Despite recent cost reductions in lithium-ion battery technology through economies of scale, further cutting manufacturing expenses remains a critical goal. Our innovative extrusion process achieves significant cost savings by drastically reducing solvent use (by over 80 %) and energy requirements for drying (by approximately 50 %). This resource-efficient approach integrates key production steps—mixing, dispersing, coating, drying, and winding—into a streamlined pilot plant operation.
The process is not only optimized for high-load electrode production but is also adapted for other essential battery components, including polymer-based separators and hybrid polymer-ceramic separators. These developments ensure compatibility with competitive coating speeds while achieving stable pilot plant operations at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5.
This scalable, sustainable solution advances battery manufacturing efficiency, paving the way for next-generation energy storage technologies.
Services offered
- Development and scaling of high-performance electrodes, polymer-based separators, and hybrid polymer-ceramic separators using semi-dry extrusion
- Tailoring manufacturing processes to minimize solvent use (by > 80 %) and energy consumption (by ~ 50 %) while ensuring consistent quality and efficiency
- Designing and implementing pilot plants that combine mixing, dispersing, coating, drying, and winding for streamlined production.
- Flexible binder selection, unlike dry coating methods, semi-dry extrusion offers greater flexibility in binder choice, enabling tailored solutions to meet specific performance and processing requirements
- Advancing processes to achieve stable operations at competitive coating speeds, reaching Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5
- Providing resource-efficient solutions to lower costs and environmental impact in battery production processes
