SafeBattery - Competence Center for Excellent Technology (COMET project)

A collaboration between ICTM, VSI and industrial partners, supported by FFG and SFG

Lithium-based traction batteries are considered as a key technology for future automobile drive systems. An important requirement to traction batteries is the safety under normal and misuse conditions, including crash load cases. The project SafeBattery puts emphasis on all-solid-state battery systems being a forward-looking cell technology highly attractive for automotive applications.

Reseach programme: The goal of SafeBattery is to investigate the mechanical, electrochemical and thermodynamic behaviour including a hazard quantification of lithium-based single-cell and single modules under crash loads (acceleration and deformation) taking into account product life, i.e., the mechanical and chemical changes that take place over the life of the product. The main outcome of SafeBattery is a comprehensive knowledge on the multi-physical processes in lithium-based battery cells and modules under crash loads taking into account product life. This knowledge can be used by the partners to optimally integrate batteries in vehicles even within deformation zones. The project will enable enhanced design freedoms, increased vehicle range and improved safety when operating vehicles with Li-Ion cells.

Factsheet: SafeBattery is a so-called K-project of the 6th call. Link to download the success story.

From the academic point of view the project is a strong collaboration of the Vehicle Safety Institute (VSI), Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Sinz (Head of the consortium) and Dr. Christian Ellersdorfer, with ICTM (workgroup of Prof. Wilkening). ICTM supports the project of the COMET class in terms of electrochemical and chemical characterization of commercial Li-based batteries. The strategic project P4 focus on the development of new solid electrolytes and a torough characterization of interfacial properties in all-solid-state-batteries by electrochemical means.

The Vehicle Safety Institute’s (VSI) own crash test hall offers tailor-made measuring and sensor technology for a variety of crash scenarios for batteries and their componentshat.
© Lunghammer - TU Graz

Outreach: A brief introduction into SafeBatteries activities can be found here: "When electric vehicles crash, what happens to the battery?" (TU Graz News, 2017) As yet, six so-called Success Stories have been published:

1  Equivalent Vibration Life Expectancy Profile for Lithium-Ion Batteries PDF
2  Safe Batteries Through Homogeneous Materials PDF
3  Safety of Pre-Loaded Li-Ion Battery Cells in a Crash PDF
4  Mechanical and Safety Behaviour of Cycle-Aged Li-Ion Battery Cells PDF
5  Comprehensive Hazard Analysis of Failing Automotive Li-Ion BatteriesVersion PDF
6  Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Pouch Li-Ion Batteries PDF

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List of partners: AVL List GmbH, SFL Engineering GmbH, Kreisel Electric GmbH & Co KG, Audi AG, Mercedes-Benz AG, Porsche AG and Robert Bosch GmbH. Academia: Virtual Vehicle Competence Centre and Institute for Chemistry and Technology of Materials are assisting the Vehicle Safety Institute.

Funing period: The project period is four years and will have a total financial volume of six million euros.

Financial Support: The project is supported by the FFG as well as by the SFG (Steirische Wiftschaftsförderungsgesellschaft m.b.H). We gratefully acknowledge this financial support.

Austrian Research Promotion Agency
and
Steirische Wiftschaftsförderungsgesellschaft m.b.H

Further reading, recent scientific output (restricted to P4, strategic project@ICTM)
Co-workers (PhD students) from ICTM: S. Lunghammer, M. Philipp, R. Zettl, C. Hiebl, M. Brinek

2020

The Electronic Conductivity of Single Crystalline Ga-Stabilized Cubic Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ — A Technologically Relevant Parameter for All-Solid-State Batteries, M. Philipp, B. Gadermaier, P. Posch, I. Hanzu, S. Ganschow, M. Meven, D. Rettenwander, G. J. Redhammer, and H. M. R. Wilkening, Adv. Mater. Interf. (2020) 2000450.

Influence of defects on ionic transport in LiTaO₃ - a study using EXAFS and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, B. Gadermaier, L. Resch, D. Pickup, I. Hanghofer, I. Hanzu, P. Heitjans, W. Sprengel, R. Würschum, A. Chadwick, H. M. R. Wilkening, Solid State Ion. (2020) 115355.

On the dependence of ionic transport on crystal orientation in NaSICON-type solid electrolytes, L. Ladenstein, S. Lunghammer, E. Wang, L. Miara, M. Wilkening, G. Redhammer, D. Rettenwander, J. Phys. Energy 2 (2020) 035003.

Combined Effects of Anion Substitution and Nanoconfinement on the Ionic Conductivity of Li-Based Complex Hydrides, R. Zettl, L. de Kort, M. Gombotz, H. Martin R. Wilkening, P. E. de Jongh, P. Ngene, J. Phys. Chem. C 2020 124 (5) 2806.

Ion Dynamics in Al-Stabilized Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ Single Crystals – Macroscopic Transport and the Elementary Steps of Ion Hopping, P. Posch, S. Lunghammer, S. Berendts, S. Ganschow, G. J. Redhammer, A. Wilkening, M. Lerch, B. Gadermaier, D. Rettenwander, H. M. R. Wilkening, Energy Storage Mater. 24 (2020) 220.

2019

Analytical dissection of an automotive Li-ion pouch cell, G. Kovachev, H. Schröttner, G. Gstrein, L. Aiello, W. Sinz, C. Ellersdorfer, I. Hanzu, H. Martin R. Wilkening, A. Foitzik, M. Wellm, Batteries 5 (2019) 67.

Fluoride-Ion Batteries: On the Electrochemical Stability of Nanocrystalline La_0.9Ba_0.1F_2.9 Against Metal Electrodes, M. Gombotz, V. Pregartner, I. Hanzu, H. M. R. Wilkening, Nanomaterials 9 (2019) 1517.

Lithium Ion Dynamics in LiZr₂(PO₄)₃ and Li_1.4Ca_0.2Zr_1.8(PO₄)₃, I. Hanghofer, B. Gadermaier, A. Wilkening, D. Rettenwander and H. M. R. Wilkening, Dalton Trans. 48 (2019) 9376.

Fast Rotational Dynamics in Argyrodite-Type Li₆PS₅X (X: Cl, Br, I) as Seen by ³¹P Nuclear Magnetic Relaxation On Cation−Anion Coupled Transport in Thiophosphates, I. Hanghofer, B. Gadermaier, and H. M. R. Wilkening, Chem. Mater. 31 (2019) 4591.

Substitutional disorder: structure and ion dynamics of the argyrodites Li₆PS₅Cl, Li₆PS₅Br and Li₆PS₅I,  I. Hanghofer, M. Brinek, S. L. Eisbacher, B. Bitschnau, M. Volck, V. Hennige, I. Hanzu, D. Rettenwander, H. M. R. Wilkening, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 21 (2019) 8489. 

Dispersed Solid Conductors: Fast Interfacial Li Ion Dynamics in Nanostructured LiF and LiF:Al₂O₃ Composites, S. Breuer, V. Pregartner, S. Lunghammer, H. M. R. Wilkening, J. Phys. Chem. C 123 (2019) 5222.

Heterogeneous F anion transport, local dynamics and electrochemical stability of nanocrystalline La_1−xBa_xF_3−x, S. Breuer, M. Gombotz, V. Pregartner, I. Hanzu, H. M. R. Wilkening, Energy Storage Mater. 16 (2019) 481.

2018

Untangling Structure and Dynamics of Lithium-Rich Anti-Perovskites Envisaged as Solid Electrolytes for Batteries, Isabel Hanghofer, G. J. Redhammer, S. Rohde, I. Hanzu, A. Senyshyn, H. M. R. Wilkening, and D. Rettenwander, Chem. Mater 30 (2018) 8134.

Nuclear spin relaxation in nanocrystalline β-Li₃PS₄ reveals low-dimensional Li diffusion in an isotropic matrix, D. Prutsch, B. Gadermaier, H. Brandstätter, V. Pregartner, B. Stanje, D. Wohlmuth, V. Epp, D. Rettenwander, I. Hanzu, and H. M. R. Wilkening, Chem. Mater 30 (2018) 7575.

Bulk and g.b. ionic conductivity in sodium zirconophosphosilicate Na₃Zr₂(SiO₄)₂PO₄ (NASICON), S. Lunghammer, Q. Ma, D. Rettenwander, F. Tietz, M. Wilkening, Chem. Phys. Lett. 701 (2018) 147.

F anion dynamics in cation-mixed nanocrystalline LaF₃:SrF₂, S. Breuer, S. Lunghammer, A. Kiesl, M. Wilkening, J. Mater. Sci. 53 (2018) 13669.

Fast Na ion transport triggered by rapid ion exchange on local length scales: ²³Na NMR spin-lattice relaxation reveals ultrafast Na ion dynamics in the solid electrolyte Na_3.4Sc_0.4Zr_1.6(SiO₄)₂PO₄, S. Lunghammer, D. Prutsch, S. Breuer, D. Rettenwander, I. Hanzu, Q. Ma, F. Tietz, M. Wilkening, Sci. Rep. 8 (2018) 11970.