Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG)
Hansastraße 27c, 80686 Munich, represented by the President, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Reimund Neugebauer
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the leading organization for applied research in Europe. Under its umbrella, 72 institutes and research facilities work at locations all over Germany. 25,000 employees generate an annual research volume of 2.3 billion euros. Of this sum, almost 2 billion euros is generated through contract research. Around 70 percent of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s contract research revenues is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. International cooperations with excellent research partners and innovative companies around the world ensure direct access to regions of the most important current and future scientific progress and economic development.
Within the framework of the Fraunhofer Batteries Alliance, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is active in all areas of battery research with 21 institutes. The aim of the projects is to reduce the production costs of batteries, to increase energy density through new material combinations and new cell design and to make the batteries and their use scenarios safer.
Project participation
Winterbergstraße 28, 01277 Dresden, Department Mobile Energy Storage, represented by Dr. Mareike Wolter
In the OptiEx project, Fraunhofer IKTS is contributing its expertise in the development of ceramic materials and their process technologies. In the field of lithium-ion battery research, IKTS has extensive scientific competence from material to electrode manufacture combined with highly developed methods for investigating structure/property relationships. In particular, Fraunhofer IKTS has the necessary equipment for the development, manufacture and investigation of active materials, electrodes and entire battery cells from laboratory to pilot plant scale. For the project, the IKTS film casting center (7 coaters with squeegees, nozzles and triple-slot die as well as various drying processes), the joint IKTS and ThyssenKrupp System Engineering’battery technology’ pilot plant with laboratories in a dry-room atmosphere and mixing and extrusion technology can be used. Fraunhofer IKTS in Dresden-Klotzsche creates intelligent solutions for non-destructive materials testing – from piezoelectric ceramics to certified ultrasonic testing systems. Designed for special applications, Fraunhofer IKTS supplies specially developed sensors that can be optimally adapted to geometries, materials and other acoustic parameters. Customer-specific test systems are equipped with modular and powerful electronics as well as equally flexible software. In the Cell-Fill project, an ultrasound-based sensor for monitoring the filling process is being developed and validated at IKTS.
Nobelstraße 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Department “Coating Systems and Painting Technology” , represented in the project by Inga Landwehr
The Fraunhofer IPA has developed industrial dry-coating processes for many years. The competence covers the physical basis of this coating technology as well as design and manufacturing of core components and their up-scaling. IPA has wide experience in the application of dry-coating processes in different areas of energy storage devices. It has used different material systems and has coated electrodes in diverse research projects. Atmospheric plasma processes and surface treatment with these processes has also used for years in the investigations into electrode production processes for energy storage devices. A pilot plant enables the plasma treatment of very short pieces of substrate with the reproducibility of a R2R machine. For the development of new coating technologies within the framework of the ProZell 2 cluster the Fraunhofer IPA will contribute its competencies in process and machine technologies in dry-coating and atmospheric plasma technology.
Fraunhoferstrasse 1, 25524 Itzehoe, Department “Integrated Energy Systems”, represented by Dr. Andreas Würsig
Fraunhofer ISIT has many years of experience in the development and manufacture of lithium accumulators based on lithium polymer technology. The Group’s field of activity covers the entire production chain in the “cell” value-added segment. Based on an electrochemical system platform, all aspects of film development and production, cell design and cell construction up to upscaling of the manufacturing processes are addressed. The flexibility and broad applicability of the patented ISIT technology allows an optimal adaptation of the performance profile of electrochemical storage systems to demanding applications. The in-house measurement technology allows a comprehensive characterization of half- and full-cell systems. ISIT contributes its expertise in process and cell development as well as the scaling of manufacturing processes to the HiLo project.
Fraunhofer-Platz 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Department of Flow and Material Simulation, represented by Dr. Jochen Zausch
The core competence of Fraunhofer ITWM is the application of mathematical methods (simulation, analysis, optimization, etc.) to a very broad spectrum of industrially relevant questions. In this sub-project, the objective of the ITWM is the development and application of physically based simulation techniques for the detailed evaluation of the filling and wetting time during the electrolyte filling of battery cells in order to enable simulation-supported production optimization during filling. To this end, the ITWM is developing physical multi-scale models and numerical methods that allow predictive computer simulations of the filling process and are applied to the specific battery cells considered in the Cell-Fi project. In combination with electrochemical methods for cell simulation the connection between wetting and cell properties will be studied.
Steinbachstr. 15, 52074 Aachen, represented by Dr. Alexander Olowinsky
The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) is the largest European research institute in the field of industrial laser technology, active in the fields of laser development and laser applications. With around 420 employees and 11,000 m² of floor space, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is one of the most important contract research and development institutes in the field of laser development and laser applications. Its core competencies include the development of new laser beam sources and components, laser measurement and testing technology as well as laser production technology. These include, for example, cutting, ablation, drilling, welding and soldering as well as surface treatment, microfabrication and rapid manufacturing. In the Holib project, the Fraunhofer ILT is developing a fast laser-based connection technology for contacting electrode foils in the cell and connecting these foils to a tab. Fraunhofer ILT can draw on many years of expertise in assembly and connection technology, which the group Microjoining in particular has built up over the past 20 years with projects in precision engineering and electronics. In addition, experience from the field of solid-state batteries, contacting of battery cells by laser beam welding and laser beam joining of thermally sensitive substrates is used for the task. The extensive equipment with laser beam sources of different wavelengths and power classes as well as a corresponding handling technology with beam guidance and component handling are available for the project.
Neunerplatz 2, 97080 Würzburg, R&D Center Electromobility, represented by Dr. Henning Lorrmann
The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg develops materials and processes for a variety of applications and sectors on behalf of industry and makes with its resource-saving material solutions essential contributions to energy supply, climate protection, clean environment, biomedicine and adaptive systems. The focus is on glass, hybrid polymers, smart materials and materials based on renewable raw materials. Future-oriented battery materials and concepts for efficient stationary and mobile energy storage are provided by the Research and Development Center for Electromobility Bavaria FZEB, which is located in the Fraunhofer ISC. In cooperation with industrial and research partners, electrode materials, electrolytes and other cell components as well as processes for their production and processing up to pilot plant scale are developed. Main areas of work are the optimization of established battery systems, material and process concepts for solid-state batteries, aging studies and the development of new methods and sensors for non-invasive cell monitoring. For the Cell-FiII project, the Fraunhofer ISC is creating the analytical basis and developing the measuring technology for the analysis of the filling process by means of ultrasound.
Bienroder Weg 54E, 38108 Braunschweig, represented by Sabrina Zellmer
The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig is an innovative partner for research and development in surface technology, with expertise in the associated product and production systems. Coating and surface technology is the key to innovative products and systems: Through modification, patterning and coating of the surface, a wide range of functions and functionalities can be realized. Friction reduction, abrasion and corrosion protection, sensor features or optical properties are just a few examples.
Regarding the development and production of energy storage systems, Fraunhofer IST focuses on energy storage development and process engineering – especially for solid state batteries. On the other hand, research focuses on the design of the associated factory systems and on the accompanying holistic life cycle management. The activities thus cover the entire life cycle of battery systems – from raw materials to battery recycling – and focus equally on technical, economic and ecological issues. In the E-Qual project of the second Prozell funding phase, the IST concentrates on process chain modelling and simulation to increase resource efficiency in battery cell production.