Municipality of Rotterdam supports Kalpana Systems
Municipality of Rotterdam supports Kalpana Systems in the development of their technology for flexible solar cells.
Kalpana Systems, in collaboration with TU Delft, has secured funding from Holland High Tech for a project aimed at creating more stable batteries using spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology. The FRISBI project is one of the 13 selected in the High Tech SME Call by Holland High Tech, which focuses on the development and application of key enabling technologies. The initiative aims to strengthen the knowledge base and R&D capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), enabling innovations to reach the market faster and more effectively. The total budget for the High Tech SME Call is €5 million.
Accelerating energy transition with spatial ALD
To accelerate the energy transition, affordable battery systems with high capacity and long lifetime need to be available. For these batteries, it is important to use a high-capacity bulk electrode material, such as silicon, for double-sided electrodes. In addition, stable interfaces play a crucial role, since battery performance, and in particular degradation, is strongly influenced by internal interfaces such as the solid electrolyte-electrode interface (SEI). Kalpana Systems aims to produce stable, artificial SEIs using spatial ALD technology.
Stable interfaces for batteries on pure silicon electrodes
Within the FRISBI project at Kalpana Systems, an industrial, scalable processing method for double-sided lithium-ion battery electrodes is being developed. Although silicon is a promising electrode material for LIBs, it often suffers from reduced cycle life due to interface instability. After silicon is deposited on both sides of the current collector, it is coated via a roll-to-roll spatial ALD process. The application of an artificial SEI improves both the cycle life and energy efficiency of battery production. For this purpose, a special system is being developed for processing double-sided electrodes.
> More about the application of spatial ALD for batteries
Combining PECVD and spatial ALD technology
The project combines Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), a widely used coating method, with spatial ALD. PECVD is employed for silicon deposition, while spatial ALD is used for applying the artificial SEI. The PECVD process is optimised to ensure a uniform Silicon deposition on both sides, while a gas-bearing transport system is implemented and fine-tuned for the spatial ALD process. The result is a reliable roll-to-roll spatial ALD system that can conformally coat the silicon anode material and is capable of coating double-sided electrodes. Materials for SEI, such as aluminium oxynitride, are being developed to be contact-resistant and flexible enough to accommodate the volume changes of the electrodes during charging and discharging.
Collaboration with TU Delft
The FRISBI project brings together the expertise in web transport for roll-to-roll spatial ALD systems from Kalpana Systems and the extensive knowledge of TU Delft regarding the scalable development and electrochemical analysis of silicon anodes, as well as their degradation due to charge/discharge processes and susceptibility to microscopic damage. The collaboration between Kalpana Systems and TU Delft in this project has the potential to lead to the commercial production of solvent-free lithium-ion battery anodes with high energy density and extended cycle life.
Bridging the gap between research and market application
The FRISBI project is part of 13 projects that have been awarded in the Holland High Tech SME Call by Holland High Tech. Holland High Tech serves as the top sector organisation for high tech systems and materials, coordinating public-private partnerships between businesses, knowledge institutions, and government. Their High Tech SME Call program specifically targets small and medium enterprises, providing essential funding to bridge the gap between innovative research and commercial market application, fostering technological advancement across the Netherlands.
> This is an adaptation from the article in Dutch by Holland High Tech.
> Read more about the High Tech SME Call in English
