Dry Laser Powder-Bed Fusion for Structured Cathode Manufacturing

This project includes the development of a dry laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) method to additively manufacture structured lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathodes, which is cost-effective, environmentally benign, readily scalable, highly designable, and roll-to-roll integrable. In this concept, a dry powder mixture of NMC, binder, and carbon is sprayed onto Al foil using electrostatic or cold powder spray coating.

A focused laser beam is then scanned across the powder layer to selectively melt or carbonize the binder and firmly attach the NMC powder onto the Al foil. Additional layers can be sprayed and laser-scanned to increase the thickness and capacity of the architected electrode. Importantly, any non-melted powders can be collected and recycled, further improving the energy and cost efficiency of this process. Our team maintains longstanding expertise in L-PBF that will be leveraged toward project success, and the same process can be used to manufacture architected anodes and solid-state battery components. The success of the project will lead to low-cost, scalable manufacturing of high-energy and power-density lithium-ion batteries. Our target application is personal electric vehicles (EVs).

Commercial Value: A proprietary dry processing approach is established for additive manufacturing of LIB cathodes. Dry-processed cathode formulations – specified by the customer - are commercially available. Ampcera is securing an IP licensing agreement for the dry laser powder-bed fusion manufacturing approach. This approach can be tailored for dry solid-state battery manufacturing. 

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