CellXPress

Advancing the energy transition requires high performance battery cells that make electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and portable devices more efficient, longer lasting, and cost effective. Innovative active materials can improve energy density, lifespan, sustainability, and technological sovereignty, ultimately reducing total battery costs across the value chain.

Yet novel material concepts, particularly from non industrial research, rarely reach commercial battery cells and are effectively lost to the European economy. In a highly competitive market, scaling up new materials and developing suitable cell manufacturing concepts are risky, time consuming, and capital intensive. Industry therefore focuses on incremental improvements to established materials and cell designs. Moreover, in Europe, material production and cell manufacturing are generally not co located, impeding the bilateral knowledge exchange that is standard practice in other regions. This prolongs innovation cycles and causes transfer processes to stall or fail.

This is where CellXPress comes in. The goal is to develop an accelerated scaling concept that transfers new material concepts from the laboratory scale to the scaled production of large format cells, based on a high nickel material with increased energy density. Through close collaboration, the project unites two major scaling research infrastructures: material scale up at ZSW's PowderUp technical center and cell manufacturing at the Fraunhofer FFB PreFab. Additionally, digital methods will be systematically developed, deployed, and harmonized across both sites.

Since such a transfer pathway is currently neither established nor proven in Europe, CellXPress serves as a proof of concept for a cooperation model that enables accelerated material to cell transfer, fostering a competitive battery value chain in Germany.

The project is divided into six work packages:

• In WP1, the target requirements for the overall battery cell are defined. Particularly relevant are the properties of the cathode material and the process parameters for cathode mixing and coating. 
• In WP2, CAM synthesis is carried out at the 500 g scale. A particular focus is placed on precipitation and calcination, initially of the pure material. Fundamental parameters and spherical particle morphology are established, followed by the identification of control parameters. Electrochemical validation of the base material is performed in half- and full cells in coin cell format. Analytical quality assurance measures and preliminary evaluation are carried out at FFB.
• In WP3, CAM production is scaled up to the 10 kg scale. A particular focus is placed on the precipitation and calcination parameters. Subsequently, the mixing process and electrode manufacturing are also scaled to technical-center scale. Finally, multilayer pouch cells (~10 Ah) are produced and electrochemically characterized.
• In WP4, material, electrode, and cell manufacturing are scaled to near-series scale. The findings from the preceding scaling stages form the basis for successful implementation at pilot scale.
• WP5, "Technological, Economic, and Ecological Assessment," aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the technological, economic, and ecological aspects of the processes and materials developed in the CellXPress project. Through a systematic landscape analysis, the identification of additional relevant stakeholders, exploitation planning, and the execution of a proof of concept, it ensures that the developed technologies are not only innovative but also market-ready and sustainable.
• WP6 encompasses data transfer between partners to identify and implement tailored strategies for process acceleration.

The goal of the project is to develop an accelerated scaling concept that transfers new material concepts from the laboratory scale to the scaled production of large-format cells - demonstrated on a material with increased energy density. Through close collaboration between the consortium partners ZSW and Fraunhofer FFB, the project unites two major scaling research infrastructures: material scale-up at ZSW's PowderUp technical center and cell manufacturing at the Fraunhofer "FFB PreFab". In addition, digital methods will be systematically developed, deployed, and harmonized across both sites as part of the implementation. Since such a transfer pathway is currently neither known nor established in Europe, CellXPress is intended to serve as a proof of concept for a cooperation model that enables the accelerated transfer of new material concepts - thereby fostering a competitive battery value chain in Germany.