Dry Coating

Dry battery electrode coating is expected to significantly reduce battery cell production costs by fully eliminating solvents and drying steps from electrode production. Fraunhofer IWS provides a holistic technology platform for material suppliers, machine manufacturers, cell producers and end users to study the dry coating technology from various angles.

The proprietary DRYtraec^® process concept offers many opportunities in efficient electrode production for todays and future generation batteries. Fraunhofer IKTS provides semi-dry extrusion processes which are flexible in binder use. Those processes are suitable for conventional battery electrodes as well as solid state battery components.

The DRYtraec^® (Dry transfer electrode coating) process developed at Fraunhofer IWS in Dresden allows the completely solvent-free and thus environmentally friendly and cost-saving production of battery electrodes. Instead of using liquid chemicals, they coat the electrodes for battery cells with a dry film. This saves energy costs and eliminates the need for toxic solvents in this process step.

At the “Advanced Battery Technology Center“ (ABTC) aspects of dry coating are advanced both on a laboratory scale for novel battery technologies and on an industrial prototype scale for process and equipment development. To date, Fraunhofer IWS scientists have already successfully produced cathodes for lithium-ion batteries (Nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries) as well as solid-state batteries (based on thiophosphate), lithium-sulfur batteries and sodium-ion batteries. DRYtraec^® thus proves to be a versatile method for current and future battery production.

Semi-dry extrusion, an emerging technology for the production of battery electrodes and solid electrolytes, bridges the gap between wet and dry processes. By minimizing solvent content, drying times and energy consumption are reduced while ensuring precise control over the composition and microstructure of the components. This method produces dense, mechanically stable components with tailored porosity and thickness, improving ion transport and electrochemical performance. Semi-dry extrusion also supports environmentally responsible manufacturing by minimizing solvent recovery challenges and is scalable for the manufacturing of advanced batteries.