Project Details
Projekt
Spouted bed processing for structuring of conductive battery hetero-aggregates
Applicant
Professor Dr.-Ing. Stefan Heinrich
Subject Area
Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering
Term
since 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 462397288
The primary goal of this research is to determine the optimal processing conditions for fluidised and spouted beds, firstly to dry coat active materials with a lithium-ion conducting layer and secondly, to produce composites for conductive battery heteroaggregates in ASSBs. Additionally, the project intends to upscale both coating and composite production for larger-scale manufacturing. The materials proposed for these composites include lithiumironphosphate, lithiummetaloxides, carbon black, lithiumindiumchloride, lithium niobate, and argyrodite. Central to the research are simulations via CFD-DEM, which will inform the construction of larger fluidized or spouted beds. The overarching aspiration is to create a theoretical framework for dry coating and composite production in fluidized and spouted beds, aiming to guide the scaling up of production industrially. Key Scientific Questions: 1) Investigate how the coating protects active material and the role of coating microstructure and thickness. 2) Understand the mechanistical process of heteroaggregate formation. 3) Examine the impact of the plate and nozzle's distance on heteroaggregates and model this in simulations.4) Study how the microjet introduces energy and its influence on heteroaggregates. 5) Analyze the correlation between the structure of hetero-aggregate composites and their electrochemical properties. Work Program: 1. WP1: Design and modify a glovebox specifically for fluidized and spouted bed studies, considering the use of hazardous materials like NMC and specific solid electrolytes. 2. WP2: Utilize a fluidized bed with jet assistance to coat NMC with LIC and LiNbO3. This phase will also assess the coating quality through SEM-EDX and other techniques, aiming to determine the optimal parameters for the coating process. 3. WP3: Examine the microstructure of the produced heteroaggregates, employing techniques like FIB-SEM tomography and TEM tomography. 4. WP4: Develop a model to understand and predict heteroaggregate formation. The model will incorporate data from previous stages and simulations. 5. WP5: Scale up the fluidization plant. This process will be modelled using the population balance model (PBM), with the Dyssol framework serving as the primary tool. Overall, this research proposal encompasses the entire process chain of fluidised bed processing for battery materials, from initial design and modification to large-scale production, backed by rigorous scientific analysis and simulations.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
