A new Dutch consortium aims to develop the next generation of batteries within eight years. A better understanding of material interfaces should be the basis for this. The consortium wants Dutch parties to play a pivotal role in the development of future battery technology.
The project is led by Prof M. (Marnix) Wagemaker, associated with TU Delft's Faculty of Applied Sciences. The consortium aims to develop the next generation of batteries. These should be safer, have a higher energy density and offer a longer lifespan. The battery technology should also be more environmentally friendly than current technologies. These features are crucial for a society based on renewable energy sources, according to BatteryNL.
Present in more and more products
Batteries and accumulators can be found in more and more products. These include energy storage systems, electric and hybrid vehicles, but also devices such as emergency power supplies, smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops and power tools.
The focus within BatteryNL is on what the consortium calls the 'heart of batteries': the interface between electrode and electrolyte. Using scalable technologies, the parties involved aim to improve this heart.
Safer and more environmentally friendly
"We are developing materials for next-generation batteries that are safer, more environmentally friendly and deliver higher performance, necessary to stabilise the future electricity grid and reap the benefits of electric mobility," Wagemaker said on TU Delft's website.
The consortium sets the following objectives:
- Unravelling the complex interface processes in next-generation lithium batteries through new and advanced methodologies focused on newly developed (2D and 3D) model interfaces and representative battery morphologies.
- Developing new scalable and economically viable interface strategies that reduce performance degradation, enabling safer and higher quality next-generation batteries.
- Translating interface strategies into scalable production processes (e.g. physical and wet-chemical coating deposition) and realising a complete cell design at demonstration level, including adapted battery management.
- Supporting the integration of our new battery technology through techno-economic and sustainability assessments and interaction with society.
- Stimulating developments and collaborations around battery technology in the Netherlands by drawing up a roadmap and exploitation plan and organising interaction between stakeholders in a national network.
Pivotal role
The consortium wants Dutch parties to play a pivotal role in the development of next-generation battery technology. To facilitate the social integration of technological breakthroughs, they want to evaluate the social and economic consequences in close cooperation with various stakeholders.
A large number of Dutch parties involved in battery development are involved in BatteryNL. These include small companies and multinationals, but also knowledge institutions. Besides TU Delft, these include the following parties:
- University of Twente
- Eindhoven University of Technology
- Utrecht University
- University of Groningen
- University of Amsterdam
- TNO
- Holst Centre
- Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
- University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences
- Saxion University of Applied Sciences
- Fontys University of Applied Sciences
- Delft IMP
- E-magy
- Euro Support
- LeydenJar
- Lionvolt
- LithiumWerks
- PTG/e
- Shell
- SALD
- VSParticle
- Air Liquide
- Forschungszentrum Jülich
- MEET Battery Research Centre
- ANWB
- DNV
- Durapower
- EnergyStorageNL
- InnoEnergy
- New Energy Coalition
- RAI
- Solvis
- VDL
The €9.3 million project was funded by NWO-RCO.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Akela999 via Pixabay
