Lithium-ion batteries: News from materials research

The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) has developed the world's first certified reference material for cathode material of lithium-ion batteries. It allows quality assurance and further development in the field of the currently most powerful and successful battery types to be further advanced. At the same time, it makes it possible to improve recycling processes and thus comply with recycling quotas as prescribed by the future EU Battery Regulation, thus increasing the sustainability of lithium batteries.

Cathodes are a crucial component of electric batteries and play a key role in the performance and efficiency of energy storage systems. To further improve battery performance, it is essential to know high-quality cathode materials and their exact composition down to the particle level. Until now, there has been a lack of a reference material that allowed the composition and thus also the quality and performance of cathode material to be checked and compared.

BAM closes this gap with the world's first certified reference material for cathode material of lithium batteries. It was developed in close cooperation with the battery industry and adapted to their needs. The new reference material consists of nickel-manganese-cobalt-111 cathode material, which is used in lithium-ion systems. The exact mass fractions for lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt and other seven components are given, as well as the particle size distribution and the specific surface area of the powder.

Quality control already during the manufacturing process

In future, the reference material can serve as a reliable benchmark for the characterisation and evaluation of nickel-manganese-cobalt type cathode material. At the same time, it enables companies to control the quality of cathode material already during the production process, to compare it with each other and to continuously improve it.

In particular, it opens up the possibility to determine and optimise the proportion of cobalt, the most expensive cathode material, i.e. to make the production of the battery more economical as well as to prevent impurities that can have a negative influence on the performance and service life of a battery.

Reduction of resource consumption in the battery sector possible

The new EU Battery Regulation recently passed by the EU Parliament makes the reference material particularly important. It prescribes fixed recycling quotas for components of lithium-ion batteries after a transitional period. BAM's reference material makes it easier for recycling companies to identify high-quality cathode materials such as cobalt, nickel and manganese in spent batteries, sort them and check their quality and reusability as part of a circular economy. This can reduce resource consumption in the battery sector.

BAM's new certified reference material was developed according to strict international standards and within the framework of an interlaboratory test with 16 experienced laboratories. It is available in the BAM webshop.

Carlos Abad, Deputy Head of the Department of Inorganic Reference Materials at BAM, explains: "The development of the world's first certified reference material for cathode material is a significant step for battery research and development. The reference material plays an important role in driving the development of innovative batteries."

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Source: PM BAM "Lithium batteries: BAM develops world's first reference material for cathode material", 27.06.2023