Powder handling and processing for battery materials

Battery improvement is a major concern for battery manufacturers. The evolution of energy consumption, due to new technologies such as electric cars and renewable energies, requires batteries with high capacity, high power density, and safety. These qualities depend as much on the raw materials as on the manufacturing process which must be improved to meet the required criteria. At the beginning of the manufacture of a battery, the active material, the conductive additive, and the binder are mixed in powder form. This produced blend is then handled to produce electrodes used in the battery, especially in new dry processes removing the use of solvents. Therefore, studies are conducted to improve the powder blend with particle engineering and new preparation techniques. These modifications aim to increase the processability of the material during the manufacturing process and to better the final properties of the battery. Moreover, understanding the link between the behavior of the powder material, the manufacturing process, and the electrode properties is crucial for battery improvement. The session will focus on topics related to particle engineering, powder characterization, and process improvement for electrode manufacturing.