31st Mar 2023
The novel anode material currently under development by DGI for use in sodium-ion batteries has passed a key milestone along the path to full-scale commercial production. In co-operation with a leading battery cell manufacturer, almost 4 kg of the anode material has been successfully coated onto 100 m of aluminium foil. Engineers at the manufacturer who supervised the coating process and subsequent mechanical testing of the foil commented that the DGI’s material coated easily and reliably, and that it exhibited outstanding adhesion.
“We had a very tight timescale for the coating trials,” said Peter Tierney, CEO of DGI, “and, while we had prepared an adequate supply of our anode material in its bulk form, we couldn’t find a UK company able to convert it into a powder with the correct particle size range for coating. The only way we could meet the deadline was to take a suitcase full of the stuff to the USA for milling, which raised a few eyebrows at US customs! However, the excellent trial results certainly made the effort and inconvenience worthwhile.”
The single-side coated foil produced during the trial will now be cut into smaller pieces in a range of sizes for use in prototype cells. This will enable the electrical performance and durability of the anode material to be accurately assessed under conditions that closely approximate those that will be found in future sodium-ion batteries.
“This is a very significant development for us,” continued Peter. “This key milestone serves as a proof-of-principle for coating on Giga-factory lines and opens the way towards full-scale commercial production. DGI have identified the next milestone on this journey as a follow-on scale-up to produce 40 Ah cells in a format that serves Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) as we build the business case for full scale anode manufacture in the UK by 2027. In parallel, the EU law passed in December 2022 stating all battery manufacturers must now publish a full carbon footprint analysis of their whole supply chain, including manufacture of active anode and cathode materials, before allowing sale of cells in the EU, further strengthens the allure for our low footprint sustainable anode – an astute and timely offering as the industry stands on the cusp of unprecedented exponential growth.”
