In a protected atmosphere, doctoral student Rob- Better and safer lithium batteries in Wullich assembles prototypes of the “reser- In the Nano-Argovia project BatCoat, researchers began devel- voir-free” lithium metal solid-state battery cells in order to subsequently investigate their electro- oping the next generation of zero-excess all-solid-state lithi- chemical properties. um-metal battery cells in early 2024. These solid-state Li-metal batteries represent a promising alternative to conventional lith- ium-ion battery cells. They have a higher energy density and are safer than the lithium-ion batteries used today. Accordingly, they could make a decisive contribution to effective, safe and “The project potentially allows sustainable electromobility. At present, however, there are still us to enter the value chain of some technical challenges, which are being investigated by the Gen 3 and Gen 4 lithium-metal interdisciplinary team in the Nano-Argovia project BatCoat. cell technology with a strong The negatively charged electrode (anode) of the zero-excess unique selling proposition.” all-solid-state lithium-metal battery cells being investigated con- Dr. Phani Kumar Yalamanchili, sists of a three-dimensional copper current collector, on which Oerlikon Metco AG the researchers deposit functional layers. These layers help to ensure that the lithium emitted by the cathode is deposited reversibly and evenly. In the first year of the project, the inter- disciplinary team successfully tested how these nanoscale func- tional layers can be deposited on the anode and what properties they have. The researchers have already achieved very promis- ing cycling performance of 200 charge and discharge cycles with 2 a capacity retention of 80% at a current density of 0.5 mA/cm . In the second year, the objective is to double or triple that per- formance in order to make it attractive for the battery industry. Collaboration between: Paul Scherrer Institute PSI // FHNW School of Engineering and Environment // Oerlikon Metco AG (Wohlen, AG) Project description: https://bit.ly/3CM6sqR SNI Annual Report 2024 37