Fraunhofer Battery Alliance

 

Powerful batteries are the key component in mobile and stationary electrically powered applications. They are often the system component that proves most difficult to master. This is particularly true when dealing with the demands placed on service life and operational reliability of the systems used in the high-end energy and output ranges, which pose formidable technical challenges for the batteries that are used.

For industrial customers, the extensive research infrastructure and cross-institute pooling of expertise offers numerous points of contact along the circular battery value chain, from materials and cell production through to battery systems and battery recycling, including overarching activities such as battery testing, simulations, digitalization and techno-economic assessments. The holistic approach, coupled with our applied battery research, bridges the divide between scientific findings and their practical application in industry.

Our research work focuses on lithium-based battery technologies – established or next-generation – such as lithium-ion, lithium-sulfur and solid-state batteries. In addition, sodium-based batteries such as sodium-ion and sodium high-temperature batteries, as well as redox-flow and metal-air batteries, are under research.

Business areas

Material Research

The material research includes the synthesis, development and optimization of materials and components, such as active materials, electrodes, separators and electrolytes.


Cell Production

The member institutes operate pilot plants up to the MWh/a range, in order to transfer laboratory results to an industrial scale. In these facilities, every stage of battery cell production can be carried out.


System & Integration

The work at system level includes module and pack development, battery system design, battery management systems, thermal optimization, safety concepts, diagnostic systems and overall battery system integration.


End-of-Life & Battery Recycling

Our member institutes are working to advance automated disassembly and develop various recycling strategies and processes to maximize sustainability and geopolitical independence.


Simulation & Modeling

Based on knowledge of the individual battery cell, the behavior of modules and packs can be simulatively tested in advance up to the system level.


Testing & Evaluation

Batteries are tested using electrical, thermal, and mechanical tests. This includes performance tests, lifetime determination, operational stability, system reliability and various types of safety tests with coupled analytics.