According to foreign media reports, at the beginning of this year, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute ISC and the Swiss Federal Materials Testing and Research Laboratory (Empa) collaborated to launch a project called IE48 to provide a solution for approaching mass production. Laying the foundation for the production of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles.

　　The project builds on the strengths of two research partners: Empa, headquartered in Dübendorf, Switzerland, which provides the chemical and physical basis for the new battery technology; and Empa, headquartered in Würzburg, Germany. The Raunhof Ceramic Institute provides know-how in process development and battery production, including battery prototype production.

　　According to the two partners, a leap forward in solid-state battery technology brings opportunities to Europe to bring key technologies that were previously firmly in the hands of Asian companies. According to an accompanying press release: "Such solid-state batteries do not require flammable liquid electrolytes, thereby significantly improving operational stability. In addition, they are smaller in size and weight because they do not require complex safety battery enclosures. It has advantages." By using metal anode materials instead of the currently commonly used graphite anodes, batteries can have higher energy density and shorter charging times.

　　According to scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research, the individual components of future solid-state batteries are already well studied in the laboratory, but the biggest challenge is integrating them into a stable system. The IE4B project (Interface Engineering for Safe, Sustainable and High-Performance Batteries) framework will lay the foundation for this. Specifically, Empa is working on developing solid-state electrolytes, producing thin films with customized electronic properties and developing nanostructured anode materials. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicates researches lithium-conducting polymers and protective layers made of sol-gel materials. It is also responsible for the development, production and testing of battery prototypes and small-scale batteries.

　　From the beginning of the project, German and Swiss industrial companies such as Heraeus, Buhler Group, Applied Materials, Varta and ABB Be involved and support the project from an industrial perspective.

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