Battery Research and Manufacturing | Battery Applications

The battery research and production process

Thermo Scientific systems touch every part of the battery value chain, from extraction and processing of raw materials, to quality assurance in the production line, to research and development of new battery designs.

Battery mineral resource processing

Selected use cases for battery mineral processing

Challenge	Technologies	Solution	Resources
Elemental analysis and grade control of nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, lithium ores	XRF	Thermo Scientific XRF lab spectrometers can quantify up to 90 elements in liquid or solid samples of mining materials, enabling control of ore body content for refinement and processing	App note: Analysis of Nickel Ore with ARL OPTIM'X WDXRF Spectrometer
			App note: EDXRF Analysis of Nickel Ore as Pressed Powders in an Air Environment
			App note: Analysis of lithium raw materials with WDXRF
			App note: Manganese ore analysis with the ARL OPTIM’X XRF Spectrometer
			App note: Iron ore analysis with the ARL OPTIM’X XRF Spectrometer

Abbreviations: XRF = X-ray fluorescence.

Battery raw materials control

Selected use cases for battery raw materials control

Challenge	Technologies	Solution	Resources
Electrode materials QC requires higher resolution than OM, but floor-based SEMs won’t fit in our lab and manual analysis is too slow	Desktop SEM	The Thermo Scientfic Phenom XL Desktop SEM can handle high-resolution morphology analysis and QC of anode and cathode materials with high-throughput automation
	Desktop SEM		Blog post: Analysis of graphite for lithium-ion batteries
Identification and quantification of metal impurities in raw materials is critical, but neither ICP nor optical microscopy does both	Desktop SEM, EDS	Thermo Scientfic Phenom ParticleX Desktop SEM can identify and quantify particle impurities with high-throughput automated EDS workflow	Webinar: How to certify your NCM powder quality with SEM+EDS
Rapidly characterize lithium, metal oxide, and lithium compounds	Raman	Thermo Scientific Raman instruments can analyze these compounds quickly with minimal sample preparation	Blog post: Using Raman spectroscopy during lithium-ion battery manufacturing
Characterize lithium and other highly reactive salts	FTIR	Compact Thermo Scientfic Nicolet FTIR instruments can measure sample spectra within an argon-purged glove box using remote control	App note: FTIR characterization of lithium salts in an inert atmosphere
Characterize raw materials	XPS	XPS can be used to analyze the surface of powdered materials prior to formation of electrodes, determining stoichiometry and identifying contaminants
Evaluate purity of raw materials	XRF	Elemental analysis from ppm to 100%, pre-screening for impurities in carbon black	Brochure: X-ray Product Range
Identify and quantify mineral composition in raw materials	XRD	Phase identification and structure determination in anode and cathode	Brochure: ARL EQUINOX 100 X-ray Diffractometers

Abbreviations: EDS = Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; FTIR = Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; ICP = Inductively coupled plasma; OM = Optical microscopy; SEM = Scanning electron microscopy; XRD = X-ray diffraction; XRF = X-ray fluorescence.

Battery production applications

Selected use cases for battery production

Challenge	Technologies	Solution	Resources
Detection of electrode impurities is slow and tedious using normal SEM-to-EDS workflow	ChemiSEM, EDS	Thermo Scientfic Axia ChemiSEM integrates SEM with “live EDS” for immediate characterization of electrode impurities	App note: Assessment of contaminants within battery materials via Axia ChemiSEM
Failure analysis and QC in battery production requires SEM-level resolution, but floor models take too much space	Desktop SEM	Phenom Desktop SEMs enable high-resolution, high-throughput analysis of battery materials	App note: Investigate batteries with a SEM for better performance
Identification and quantification of metal impurities in raw materials is critical, but neither ICP nor OM does both	Desktop SEM, EDS	Phenom ParticleX Desktop SEM can identify and quantify particle impurities with high-throughput automated EDS workflow	Webinar: How to certify your NCM powder quality with SEM+EDS
Binder characterization is difficult but crucial to confirm electrode mechanical structure	SEM, DualBeam	Superior imaging contrast of unique T3 detector for Thermo Scientfic Apreo 2 SEM enables mapping of non-conductive binder distribution within electrode	Brochure: Scanning electron microscopy for lithium battery research
Simultaneously quantify major elements (% level) and trace impurities (ppm, mg/kg) of a battery cathode	ICP-OES	Thermo Scientfic iCAP 6000 Series ICP-OES can accurately measure concentrations in solutions ranging from <0.006 mg/L to nearly 3000 mg/L (6 orders of magnitude)	App note: Simultaneous determination of impurities and major elements in lithium-ion battery cathodes using the Thermo Scientific iCAP 6000 Series Radial ICP-OES
Battery slurries mixed batchwise in planetary mixers is labor-intensive, has low material efficiency, and bears the risk of batch-to-batch variations. Electrodes coated by solvent-casting methods requires energy consumptive solvent evaporation and recycling techniques. Volatile solvents are hazardous and expensive.	Twin-screw Extrusion	Continuous slurry compounding reduces material loss, cleaning time, handling errors, and product variations. Thermo Scientific twin-screw extruders continuously compound slurries with high reproducibility. Control composition, material shear, and temperatures. PTFE acts as a binder in solvent-free electrode slurries. Compounding of PTFE and active material powders requires high shear. Thermo Scientific twin-ccrew extruders successfully compound PTFE and active material to produce solvent-free slurries. High shear renders formation of PTFE fibrils binding active material grains	On-demand webinar: Compound homogeneous electrode slurries fast and effectively

Abbreviations: DualBeam = Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM); EDS = Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; FIB = Focused ion beam; ICP = Inductively coupled plasma; NCM = Nickel cobalt manganese; OES = Optical emission spectrometry; OM = Optical microscopy; SEM = Scanning electron microscopy.

Battery quality control

Selected use cases for battery QA/QC

Challenge	Technologies	Solution	Resources
Identification of impurities for root cause analysis is difficult using CT alone	CT/SDB, EDS, Avizo	A correlative CT/laser PFIB workflow can identify deeply embedded impurities without disassembling the cell	App note: Multiscale 3D imaging solutions for Li-ion batteries
Failure analysis requires high-resolution cross-section polishing while still protecting sample	SEM, CleanMill	Thermo Scientfic CleanMill offers a dedicated workflow for air-sensitive samples, an ultra-high energy ion gun for fast polishing, and a cryogenic function to protect sample integrity	Datasheet: CleanConnect Sample Transfer System
Differentiate carbon allotropes, reveal anode material structure, and track changes during usage	Raman	Raman spectroscopy is particularly useful for distinguishing between different allotropes of carbon and evaluating the structural quality of these materials	App note: Raman analysis of lithium-ion batteries – Part II: Anodes
Map degradation of the anode SEI layer	Raman	Raman microscopy can be used for visualizing changes to electrode materials and component distributions after a cell has been used	App note: Ex situ Raman analysis of Li-ion batteries
Monitor battery off-gassing or chemicals released during a fire, short circuit, or other hazardous conditions	FTIR	Thermo Scientfic Antaris IGS system with Heated Valve Drawer can quantify release of HF and other fluorinated gasses under overtaxed conditions like a vehicle crash	Tech note: Gas-phase FTIR for smoke toxicity measurements
Assess crystallinity, stability, and reactivity in battery materials	XRD	Check crystal structure, crystallinity, orientation characteristics, thickness, homogeneity, and density of thin films and layers	Brochure: ARL EQUINOX 100 X-ray Diffractometers
Detect defects, inclusions, and imperfections	XRF	Elemental mapping and small spot analysis down to 0.5 mm	App note: Small spot analysis: Performance in ferrous base
			App note: Sample analysis using elemental mapping at low power with Thermo Scientific ARL PERFORM’X 1500 W Advanced WDXRF Spectrometer
			App note: Sample analysis using mapping with ARL PERFORM’X Series XRF spectrometers
Control the purity of anodes, cathodes, electrolytes, separators, and other components	XRF	Wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) allows routine, daily monitoring and control of impurities and contamination	App note: Analysis of traces in graphite
Quantify trace elements in lead and lead alloys according to current standards for lead-acid batteries	OES	The Thermo Scientfic ARL iSpark Optical Emission Spectrometer enables trace and alloying element analysis in lead-acid batteries	Analysis of lead and its alloys with the ARL iSpark OES spectrometer
Understanding the rheological properties of an electrode slurry is necessary to: Optimize the coating process Define the storage handling Characterize the quality of dispersion as a predictor for cell performance.	Rotational Rheometry	Characteristic flow curves (the slurry viscosity over shear rate) provide insight of the slurries' flow behavior in processes like pumping, stirring, and coating. Thermo Scientific HAAKE iQ Air Rotational Rheometers are used to measure flow curves over a broad range of shear rates with high precision.	On-demand webinar: Rotational Rheology in Battery Manufacturing and Research

Explore battery QA/QC

Battery recycling

Selected use cases for battery recycling

Challenge	Technologies	Solution	Resources
Recycled materials QC requires higher resolution than OM, but floor-based SEMs won’t fit in our lab and manual analysis is too slow	Desktop SEM	The Phenom XL Desktop SEM can handle high-resolution QC of recycled battery materials with high-throughput automation
Identification and quantification of metal impurities in recycled materials is critical, but neither ICP nor OM does both	Desktop SEM, EDS	The Phenom ParticleX Desktop SEM can identify and quantify particle impurities with high-throughput automated EDS workflow	Webinar: How to certify your NCM powder quality with SEM+EDS
Sort incoming materials to be recycled and control impurities in recovered metals	XRF	Black mass elemental analysis for recovery of metals, such as aluminum, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite.	App note: Analysis of traces in graphite

Abbreviations: EDS = Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; ICP = Inductively coupled plasma; OM = Optical microscopy; SEM = Scanning electron microscopy; XRF = X-ray fluorescence.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Battery Research and Manufacturing Applications