Energy Storage Technologies

Our battery group at the Physics Department is dedicated to the construction, production, and simulation of a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. An intriguing and challenging aspect of these novel generations of lithium-ion batteries is that their precise operational mechanisms are still well-understood and not yet modeled.

Here we describe the general steps conducted in our lab to manufacture a laberatory-scale battery from start to finish.

The first stage involves synthesizing the entire expected physical structure using laboratory experimental methods, after we have thoroughly understood it. The materials obtained at the end of this process are referred to as ‘energy storage active materials. This is the most crucial and challenging stage where the entire mechanism and mechanism of energy storage rely on selecting, understanding, and effectively utilizing the material’s structure. It is essential that we choose, comprehend, and utilize the material’s structure in the best possible way.

In the second stage, the powder obtained from the first stage is used to create a ‘slurry.’ This slurry is made by combining polymer compounds along with the active material synthesized in the first stage.

In the third stage, the slurry is coated onto copper using a deposition device. Then, in the fourth stage, these coated foils are passed through a pressing machine, and battery coin-sized pieces are cut from them using rotary cutting tools or ‘punches.’ In the fifth stage, the cut-out sheets are enclosed within a controlled atmosphere like argon at an adjustable pressure to seal the battery coins (Glovebox). Afterward, in the sixth stage, various performance tests are conducted on these batteries, and the data obtained will be analyzed to evaluate the battery’s performance.