Thèse/PhD - Development of dry coating methods / electrodes for lithium ion bat

CHEMISTRY + TALENTS + PERFORMANCE

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Targeted company

A designer of materials and innovative solutions, Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance in lightweight and design materials, biosourced materials, new energies, water management, solutions for electronics, and the performance and home insulation.

A global manufacturer in specialty chemicals and advanced materials, with 3 business segments – High Performance Materials, Industrial Specialties, and Coating Solutions – and globally recognized brands, the Group reports annual sales of 8.8 billion euros. Buoyed by the collective energy of its 20,000 employees, Arkema operates in close to 55 countries.

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Reference number

2019-10062

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Job category

Research & Development - Research

Contract

PhD Contract

Duration of the contract

Limited to 3 years

Your skills

You have a university degree (Diploma (Uni) / Master) in materials science, chemistry or process engineering. Experience in the field of processing of ceramic materials is desirable, additional knowledge in the field of electrochemistry of advantage.

Your responsibilities

The standard manufacturing routes for battery electrodes use a slurry-based process. Powders are dispersed in a solvent and coated as a thin layer on a metal substrate. Although this method is industrially established and used worldwide since many years, it has some disadvantages. Reactions between the electrode materials and the solvent lead to undesirable cell properties. The removal of the solvent represents a significant cost factor in the production. The development of alternative coating processes that operates without the use of solvents therefore promises a large performance and economic gain.

The goal of the thesis is to develop solvent-free coating processes for electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. Different processes will be investigated like dry compound using thermoplastic PVDF binders rolled to an electrode and laminated to a metal foil as well as powder coating technologies directly on the current collector. The investigation of the compounding process is an important aspect of the thesis. The clarification of the interactions of the various components in the compound is another one. Special emphasis will be given on the identification and controlling of the electrode homogeneity. Further tasks comprise the improvement of properties like adhesion, resistivity, etc. and the determination of the mechanical behavior of the electrodes.

We offer you the opportunity to complete the promotion within three years. During this time, you will work in an interdisciplinary working group and you will have access to the excellent research infrastructure and experimental facilities at KIT. The work will be performed in cooperation with Arkema, a French global chemistry company among worldwide leader for high-performance materials, including for batteries, giving you good insights into the industrial aspects of electrode production too.

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