Robotic cell assembly to accelerate battery research

Abstract

Manual cell assembly confounds with research digitalization and reproducibility. Both are however needed for data-driven optimization of cell chemistries and charging protocols. Therefore, we present herein an automatic battery assembly system (AutoBASS) that is capable of assembling batches of up to 64 CR2023 cells. AutoBASS allows us to acquire large datasets on in-house developed chemistries and is herein demonstrated with LNO and Si@Graphite electrodes with a focus on formation and manufacturing data. The large dataset enables us to gain insights into the formation process through dQ/dV analysis and assess cell to cell variability. Exact robotic electrode placement provides a baseline for laboratory-scale manufacturing and reproducibility towards the accelerated translation of findings from the laboratory to the pilot plant scale.