The need
Nyobolt has developed an ultra-fast charging, high-power density and long cycle life battery technology which could provide a solution to unmet needs in the automotive sector and beyond, potentially offering an alternative to the high energy density batteries widely used by mainstream passenger vehicles today.
Nyobolt state that their proprietary anode technology has enabled the development of high-power lithium-ion batteries that can charge to 100% in less than five minutes without compromising safety or lifetime. They have found that batteries using their technology can go through many charging cycles, enabling the design of smaller and longer-lasting systems with positive environmental implications.
This material is new to the battery space, and there is a need to understand the changes in the surfaces of the electrodes during cycling to allow for improved performance and safety.
The solution
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) helped Nyobolt gain a better understanding of their electrode surfaces by using advanced characterisation and surface chemical analysis techniques, including secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy with high spatial resolution (2 µm) and chemical resolution, together with inert sample handling capabilities.
NPL compared the effect of cell cycling conditions on the material properties, which can be correlated to the performance in a cell, and reported the results back to Nyobolt.
NPL also developed new SIMS measurement metrologies to characterise battery solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) with the support of the project.
The impact
NPL’s expertise has enabled Nyobolt to obtain a deeper understanding of the properties of their battery materials. The knowledge obtained through this project will feed into Nyobolt's product design to help optimise these novel fast-charging batteries, offering a significant advance in battery performance.
It is expected that this project will result in increased market share and speed to market. An immediate significant impact is expected in terms of cost savings which are estimated to be at least £550k, and an opportunity-cost of two years versus taking alternative, slower, approaches. This will contribute to an increase in competitiveness and productivity for Nyobolt.