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The ZSW Baden-Württemberg will build a pilot plant in Ulm, southern Germany, over the next few months to produce highly conductive cathode powders and pastes.

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International competition is high for the development of the cost-effective lithium-ion batteries for use in electricity storage and e-mobility. At the crux of it is the cathode material, which more than any other battery component influences energy density, service life, costs and safety. But cathode materials are in short supply in Germany. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) is addressing this shortage with the “Powder-Up!” project.

“As it stands, Germany does not produce next-generation cathode materials on an industrial scale, so it is nearly impossible for universities and research institutions to use these materials when they investigate high-performance batteries,” says Professor Markus Hölzle, head of the Electrochemical Energy Technologies Division in a press release. “Powder-Up! is going to close this gap.”

The ZSW, which has 30-years’ experience in battery materials and supercapacitors, will build a pilot plant in Ulm, southern Germany, over the next few months to produce highly conductive cathode powders and pastes (with nickel and cobalt salts and sodium hydroxide as the raw materials) in batches of up to 100 kilograms for today’s and future generations of lithium-ion batteries. They will share these materials with research and industry partners involved in battery cell development.

The first step will be to develop formulae and low-cost production processes at small scale. The researchers will then pilot the new materials in various combinations to optimise their performance in battery systems. The research project kicks off in December 2021 and will run for two years, funded with almost EUR 20 million from the German Ministry of Education and Research.