The SOLiDIFY Consortium is a cooperative European battery project, comprising 14 partner associations. The Union’s Horizon 2020 project funds their work to develop a next gen solid lithium-ion battery. The consortium’s focus, which is high tech and advanced, appears to have achieved a breakthrough of some significance.
What the SOLiDIFY Consortium Achieved in Headline Terms
Interesting Engineering explains how the consortium developed a novel, all-solid-state lithium-ion battery, delivering increased storage density. We understand the SOLiDIFY Consortium used a new manufacturing method, that is compatible with current manufacturing technology.
The prototype, all solid-state lithium battery delivers 1,070 watt hour per liter energy density, which is a 20% improvement over current lithium-ion batteries. And moreover, being all-solid-state means the electrolyte is non-flammable too.
But perhaps the high energy density, composition, and chemistry of the pouch cell battery are most intriguing:
- The SOLiDIFY battery uses a thick, high-energy-density cathode of nickel, manganese, and cobalt.
- While the SOLiDIFY lithium-metal anode, and the solid electrolytic separator both have thin profiles.
More Information About This Exciting New Breakthrough
This snapshot was sufficiently tantalizing to encourage us to search further. We found consortium member Fraunhofer’s website, and it helped us close out some knowledge gaps.
The SOLiDIFY Consortium project brief calls for a new solid-state battery, that is tailored to production. And furthermore, both the technology and the concept must be scalable to achieve high production volumes.
The remarkable solid electrolyte does away with most of the current shortcomings of solid battery initiatives. For example, the SOLiDIFY nanocomposite product has high ionic conductivity, rendering it suitable for traction batteries.
And finally, for now, the consortium’s novel battery also charges relatively fast, and has enhanced inherent safety too. When we add competitive cell costs, and easy up-scalability, then we have little doubt that the SOLiDIFY Consortium has the makings of a winner.
More Information
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Preview Image: Wet-Chemical Coating Equipment
