Fully charged to 2020

Its aim is to accelerate the development of fast-rechargeable lithium energy storage systems with improved energy density.
Freudenberg is already very active in the development of products for energy storage, including:

• Fuel cells. Vehicles with electric motors are a promising alternative to vehicles that run on fossil fuels. These electric motors are powered by fuel cells, for which Freudenberg provides nonwovens that play an important role as a gas-diffusion layer in the conversion of chemical to electrical energy.
• Lithium-ion batteries. Thermally-safe Freudenberg battery separators are key components in large-format lithium-ion batteries, such as those used in electric vehicles. They electrically separate the negative and positive electrodes from each other and are permeable to ions, thereby enabling the electrochemical process.
• Super capacitors. Freudenberg Performance Materials has developed special separator nonwovens especially for so-called ‘super caps’ which can store and discharge energy very quickly, when necessary. They are used, for example, during the lifting and lowering of containers when loading and unloading ships.
• Redox flow batteries. A lot of promise is being shown by redox flow batteries with liquid electrolyte tanks for the efficient storage of large amounts of energy. Like conventional batteries, redox flow batteries can release the stored energy at any time. With their great capacity, redox flow batteries will, for example, be used to store energy in wind and solar power plants. Freudenberg Performance Materials has developed particularly efficient electrodes for this type of battery.

Now, as part of the HiPoLiT project, Freudenberg will work on developing new high-temperature and high-performance battery separators, based both on ceramics and nonwovens.

Johnson Matthey Battery Materials will contribute application-specific optimised anodes and high-voltage cathode powder which will be combined into prototype cells at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology, along with novel electrolyte formulations from the University of Münster’s battery research centre. Once this has been achieved, battery cell manufacturer Liacon will translate the development into practically applicable large-sized cells.

The cells will then be integrated into functional battery systems by Batterie-Montage-Zentrum GmbH, which will subsequently be tested in an actual electric boat drive by Torqeedo, a leading global provider of electric boat motors.

Another major aim of the project is to reduce the cost of battery production by reducing the number of interconnected cells and by using high-voltage cathodes and larger cell sizes.

The increase in electric mobility is a core objective in terms of energy policy, Freudenberg observes, and one of the keys to success lies in providing more efficient and safer batteries. Electric mobility will only gain wide public acceptance if batteries are safe to use, can be charged within minutes and guarantee sufficient range. In addition, batteries also have a significant contribution to make in decentralized renewable power generation as well as in storing electrical energy in stationary applications.

Significantly improved components for batteries will lead to optimised, rapid-charge capability with practice-oriented energy density and lifetime, as well as improved safety. To improve the energy density of the batteries, the cell voltage and the proportion of active material in the electrodes also needs to be increased.

Freudenberg Performance Materials will be one of a number of companies showing new innovations for energy storage materials at the next INDEX nonwoven show which takes place in Geneva, from 4th-7th April 2017.

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