Rapid manufacture of solid-state battery structures by additive manufacturing and Flash sintering

随着英国政府要求到2050年实现净零碳排放，再加上到2030年禁止销售新的汽油和柴油汽车，毫无疑问，电池市场将在未来10年经历快速增长。固态电池是增强和取代当前锂离子技术的关键技术，因为它们提高了安全性和实现更大能量/功率密度的潜力。项目合作伙伴Lucideon、KWSP和拉夫堡大学将评估两项互补技术，即添加剂制造(AM)和非接触式场增强烧结(C-Flash)，以制造用于锂离子和钠离子电池的薄型、纹理/设计的固体电解液薄膜。这种新的制造方法解决了固态电池的三个主要技术挑战：薄膜处理、增加电解液/电极的界面面积和最大限度地减少离子挥发。该项目将同时着眼于资源和能源效率方面的效益，评估将两种新的高效技术结合起来利用两种系统的优势的可能性。工艺和中试规模制造将并行发展，以加快技术开发。AM提供了显著的好处，如数字化生产灵活性，减少材料浪费和减轻部件重量。AM固有的特殊设计自由度将促进薄膜沉积，最终目标是在固态条件下互穿阳极、电解液和阴极的3D结构，消除传统限制并打破当前系统的能量-功率限制。C-Flash是为加工陶瓷薄膜而开发的，具有显著缩短烧结时间和降低峰值烧结温度等显著优点。通过c-Flash工艺的微结构变化，还可以增强陶瓷的电气和机械性能。陶瓷强度的增加将有助于减少厚度和降低电阻，从而有利于固态电池的设计和性能。C-Flash可用于快速致密电解液材料，从而显著减少加工过程中的离子挥发。该项目将由一个代表电池供应链的行业指导委员会指导。该委员会将提供建议，并讨论/引导技术的开发，以实现目标。该项目的突破可能会在英国创造一种独特的开发技术。这项技术将使英国成为低能源和低浪费制造方法的领先者。通过这一路线制造的固态电池可能会在电动汽车电池市场占据相当大的份额，英国电池供应链的采用将增强英国在该领域的增长和竞争能力。

With the UK government's mandate to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, together with the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, there is no doubt that the battery market is going to experience rapid growth over the next 10 years. Solid-state batteries are a key technology to augment and replace current lithium-ion technology due to their increased safety and potential to achieve greater energy/power densities.Project partners, Lucideon, KWSP and Loughborough University will assess two complementary technologies, Additive Manufacturing (AM) and contactless Field Enhanced Sintering (c-Flash) to manufacture thin, textured/designed films of solid electrolytes for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. This new method of manufacturing addresses three of the main technological challenges with solid-state batteries: thin film processing, increasing electrolyte/electrode interfacial area and minimising ion volatilisation. This project will simultaneously target benefits in resource and energy efficiency, assessing the possibility of combining two novel and highly efficient technologies to exploit the strengths of both systems. The processes and pilot scale manufacturing will be developed in parallel to expedite technology exploitation.AM offers significant benefits such as digital production flexibility, reduced material waste and component weight reduction. The exceptional design freedom inherent in AM will facilitate thin film deposition ultimately aiming for interpenetrating 3D structures of anode, electrolyte, cathode in solid-state, eliminating the conventional constraints and breaking the energy-power limit of current systems. c-Flash, developed for processing thin ceramic films, has significant benefits such as dramatically reducing sintering times and lowering peak sintering temperature. Enhanced ceramic electrical and mechanical properties are also possible, via microstructural changes from c-Flash processing. An increase in ceramic strength would enable thickness reduction and lower resistance with benefits for solid-state battery design and performance. c-Flash can be used to rapidly densify electrolyte material resulting in significant reduction of ion volatilisation during processing.The project will be guided by an industrial steering committee, representing a cross-section of the battery supply chain. The committee will offer advice and discuss/steer exploitation of technology as objectives are met.A breakthrough from this project could create a unique technology for exploitation in the UK. This technology would allow the UK to become a leader in low energy and low waste manufacturing methods. Solid-state batteries made by this route could take significant shares of the EV battery market and adoption by the UK battery supply chain would reinforce the UK's ability to grow and compete in this sector.