Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISCThe consortium of the project consisted of ten participating organizations from Germany, France, Belgium, Spain and Italy, including two leading material manufacturers. The members covered each edge of the knowledge triangle, with participants from industry (Umicore, Arkema, SAFT and Customcells), applied research institutions (Fraunhofer, CEA, CSIC, ENEA and VITO) and a university (TU Darmstadt). The application-oriented R&I project focused on the industrial partners and their new products.
Members of the Consortium
As lead partner, Fraunhofer coordinated the project, which was organized in five work packages, each with a subproject leader.
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Project Consortium
Arkema
Arkema is a publicly traded French chemical company, Core Partner of the EIT RawMaterials (Central CLC) active in the production and commercialization of specialty chemicals and polymer materials. Arkema’s main expertise is on fluorine, sulfur and acrylic chemistries. In the field of energy related topics, Arkema is active as a producer and developer of novel electrolytes and electrode binders for lithium-ion batteries and as a provider of polymer encapsulates, back and front sheets and barrier layers for the fabrication of PV panels. For the project Arkema will provide its PVDF binder Kynar®, its bio-based carbon nanotubes Graphistrength® and its new development, the high-voltage LiFSI based electrolyte. The production of the LiFSI lithium salt is being upscaled in this project.
French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
Core Partner allocated to CLC Central, is active in four main areas: low-carbon energies, defense and security, information technologies and health technologies. In each of these fields, the CEA maintains a cross-disciplinary culture of engineers and researchers, building on the synergies between fundamental and technological research. The concept of resource efficiency is an important task addressed by CEA for both material and energy (used in buildings, transportation and industry). In the field lithium-ion batteries CEA has a good network with key players like Umicore and Arkema and owns a large-scale pilot line for the production of electrodes and cells. CEA contributes to the project with the production of the final high-voltage battery prototypes based on the new upscaled materials.
CSIC
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is EIT RawMaterials Core Partner allocated to CLC South. The research groups "Fuels Conversion Group" of the Instituto de Carboquimica (ICB-CSIC) and "Carbon materials for applications in catalysis, energy and environment Group" of the Instituto Nacional del Carbón (INCAR-CSIC) have been working for more than 10 years on the production of graphite nanofibres from the extraction of methane and biogas. These valuable materials have various applications such as: Additive for the production of composite materials with improved electrical and thermal conductivity, anode in lithium-ion batteries or precursor for the production of graphene. Both groups also have great experience in the morphological, structural and electrochemical characterization of advanced carbon materials. As part of the project, CSIC is investigating the high voltage performance and ageing resistance of Arkema's industrial carbon materials.
Customcells
Project partner of EIT RawMaterials. The SME was included in the KIC network and became a KIC member on the basis of this project. CUSTOMCELLS® is one of the world's leading companies in the development of special lithium-ion battery cells. CUSTOMCELLS® - Made in Germany - develops and produces application-specific battery cells from prototypes to small and medium series. On the basis of flexible manufacturing concepts and state-of-the-art research and production facilities, CUSTOMCELLS® guarantees high-tech solutions for special applications and - depending on the customer requirement profile - tailor-made development and production of electrodes, electrolytes, battery cells and battery modules. With access to 14 industrialized electrode technologies, over 250 raw materials in stock and a production facility equipped with state-of-the-art electrode and cell manufacturing machines, CUSTOMCELLS® is one of the leading manufacturers of customized battery cells.
Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA)
ENEA is EIT RawMaterials core Partner allocated to CLC South. The Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. ENEA, a governmental, scientific and technological development, has a broad, internationally recognized experience in the implementation of advanced programs and projects in the fields of research and innovation for sustainable development and environmental protection. The materials and physic-chemical processes laboratory team involved in the project has always worked on materials for energy applications. Since the mid-1980s, ENEA has carried out research and development programs on battery material technologies and is involved in several national and European projects. In the ECO COM'BAT project, it investigates the high voltage power and ageing stability of Arkema's LiFSI industrial electrolyte, in particular with regard to the interactions between the new electrolyte and the electrode materials.
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft e. V.
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V. is EIT RawMaterials Core Partner allocated to CLC Central. Research of practical utility lies at the heart of all activities pursued by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The project coordinator Fraunhofer ISC has a comprehensive part and will take over the upscaling of the ORMOCER® coating, the electrode and cell production on a lab scale as well as the recycling and testing of the ECO COM'BAT cells. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC (director Prof. Dr. Gerhard Sextl) is one of the leading Bavarian R&D centers for material-based research and development in the fields of energy, environment and health. With a permanent staff of about 400 scientists and technicians the Institute works to develop innovative materials and technologies for sustainable products and make essential contributions to solving the major global issues and challenges of the future.
Saft
Saft specializes in the most advanced battery solutions for industrial applications: from design and development, through production and custom applications, to service development. For nearly 100 years, Saft has supplied its customers with longlife batteries and battery systems for safetycritical applications, backup power as well as electric and hybrid drives. The innovative, safe and reliable technologies deliver the best performance in space, water, air and land. Saft supplies power to industrial areas and smart cities and also ensures critical emergency power supplies under the most extreme environmental conditions, from the Arctic to the Sahara. Saft is a subsidiary of the Total Group. SAFT will support the consortium with specifications for the battery cells, advice for the cell testing and evaluation of the results.
TU Darmstadt
EIT RawMaterials Associate Partner allocated to CLC Central. TU Darmstadt has a strong focus on Materials Science, in particular on sustainable and substitutional materials for energy conversion and storage. This includes materials design and development for battery applications, novel microelectronics, solar cells, and magnetic energy materials. In addition, TU Darmstadt is already well established in national and international existing networks of infrastructure and research. In this project TU Darmstadt will contribute to the materials characterization and in particular to the characterization of the electrode electrolyte interface before, during, and after the high voltage operation of the batteries.
Umicore
EIT RawMaterials Core partner allocated to Western CLC, is a global materials technology and recycling group, with more than 14,000 employees in 38 countries. Umicore generates most of its revenues from clean technologies such as recycling, emission control catalysts, rechargeable battery materials and photovoltaics. Umicore's R&D activities involve more than 900 colleagues in 20 research and technology centers worldwide. Their focus is on developing technologies that address key global challenges such as clean mobility and resource scarcity. In this project, Umicore provides its sustainable low cobalt NMC battery materials.
VITO
VITO is an EIT RawMaterials Core Partner allocated to CLC West. VITO, the Flemish institute for technological research, stimulates the sustainable development in Flanders and Europe and re-enforces the economic and social position by providing innovative technological solutions and scientific advice and support. Within VITO the business unit Energy Technology focuses its activities on ‘smart energy systems for smart cities’. Relevant fields of expertise for this project are electrochemical storage system test knowhow, system integration with batteries and Multiphysics modelling. Since 2012 the unit Energy Technology is part of the ‘Energy Ville’ collaboration / Joint Venture with the Catholic University in Leuven and R&D center imec. In the project VITO will do the Multiphysics modelling for performance and ageing behavior of the new high-voltage batteries to demonstrate the battery improvement for typical user cases.
