Opportunities for real-time process control of electrode properties in lithium-ion battery manufacturing

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for implementing real-time process control in lithium-ion battery electrode manufacturing to reduce costs, emissions, and resource usage, addressing current trial-and-error methods.

Contribution

It identifies opportunities and challenges for applying real-time control strategies in LIB electrode production, aiming to optimize manufacturing conditions.

Findings

Real-time control can reduce manufacturing costs and emissions.

Implementation challenges include process complexity and sensor integration.

Potential for increased yield and throughput in electrode production.

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have an important role in the shift required to achieve a global net-zero carbon target of 2050. Electrode manufacture is amongst the most expensive steps of the LIB manufacturing process and, despite its apparent maturity, optimised manufacturing conditions are arrived at by largely trial and error. Currently, LIB manufacturing plants are controlled to follow the fixed "recipe" obtained by trial and error, which may nonetheless be suboptimal. Moreover, regulating the process as a whole to conform to the set conditions is not widespread. Inspired by control approaches used in other film and sheet processes, we discuss opportunities for implementing real-time process control of electrode-related products, which has the potential to reduce the electrode manufacturing cost, CO2 emissions, usage of resources by increases in process yield, and throughput. We highlight the challenges and significant opportunities of implementing real-time process control in LIB electrode production lines.