Advancements in Operando NMR Analysis of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Electrochemical processes in a Li|LiPF6|LFP cell have been explored applying novel solid-state NMR technologies. Industry, Academia, and Technology partners are joining efforts to demonstrate the high potential of this approach for use in the energy storage industry.

Join Dragonfly Energy, Darmstadt Technical University, ePROBE and BRUKER BioSpin as they discuss about an experimental procedure for routine application of in-situ Solid-State NMR for battery research and manufacturing.

Webinar Overview

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been commercialized for 30 years and have made significant progress in high-power density, cycling life, and charging conditions. LIBs are used in portable digital devices, electric vehicles, and stationary energy storage. McKinsey predicts a huge rise of the global LIB demand over the next decade. Despite their outstanding properties, LIB technologies still face challenges in safety concerns, lifespan, energy density, costs, and environmental sustainability.

Key Learning Topics

• Discover innovative ssNMR technologies towards application for routine analysis in energy storage industry.
• Learn about In-situ ssNMR showing great potential to become a standard approach for routine monitoring of electrochemical processes under operating conditions.
• Get an insight into how electrochemical processes in a Li|LiPF6|LFP cell have been explored applying novel solid-state NMR technologies.
• Understand how in-situ ssNMR allows to analyse ionic transport and monitor microstructural changes in Li|LiPF6|LFP.
• Investigate degradation of the electrolyte as well as dendrite formation at different state of charge

What To Expect

Elucidation of structural changes in an electrochemical system containing lithium as anode material, while charging/discharging processes take places, is essential for understanding of battery failure and for improving its design. Monitoring and identification of structure fractions formed in lithium/lithium-ion electrochemical cells is still a challenging task. An electrochemical cell consisting of electrodes, electrolytes etc. represents a complex multicomponent system, so that for its structural characterization under working condition special analytical techniques are required. In-situ solid-state NMR spectroscopy (ssNMR) has been proven as a powerful tool suitable to address structural changes in local environment of electrochemical cell components during operation.

Who Should Attend

• Battery manufacturers
• Research and development organizations
• Academic institutions
• Material science organizations
• Electrochemical and analytical chemistry organizations
• Testing laboratories involved in battery research and development.
• Government agencies involved in renewable energy and sustainability.
• Investors interested in the battery market.
• Battery technology experts and engineers

Presenter: Oliver Pecher Ph.D. (CEO ePROBE GmbH, Erfurt, Germany)

Oliver Pecher is the CEO of ePROBE GmbH (Erfurt, Germany) providing battery analysis technology solutions in magnetic resonance. He is also an application specialist in the laboratory of Prof. Dame Clare P. Grey in Cambridge, UK. Oliver is a solid-state chemist by training and did his Ph.D. in materials/battery sciences.

Presenter: Dominion Fredericks (Research and Development Scientist, Dragonfly Energy Corporation, Reno, NV, United States)

Dominion Fredericks is an accomplished Research and Development Scientist specializing in lithium-ion battery technology. Since 2021, he has played a pivotal role at Dragonfly Energy in the development of protocols for the company'sproprietary nonflammable solid-state battery, an innovation that Dragonfly Energy is building toward in its R&D efforts. Through his professional and academic experience, Dominion has successfully forged collaborative partnerships with institutions, contributing to joint research initiatives that led him to earn a Master of Science in Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Reno, and has become skilled in analytical thinking, project management, data analysis, and quality control. Beyond research, he excelled as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Nevada, managing Chemistry Labs and earning various accolades for his teaching methods. With a passion for advancing renewable energy solutions, Dominion Fredericks continues to make significant contributions to the field of energy storage research.

Presenter: Prof. Torsten Gutmann (Eduard Zintl Institute for Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany)

Prof. Gutmann obtained his doctorate at FSU Jena in 2010. Supported by a MPG-CNRS scholarship he went for post-doc at the LCC-CNRS Toulouse. He received his habilitation at TU Darmstadt in 2018. Between 2019 and 2020 he worked as interim professor at the University Kassel. His current research focuses on development of DNP enhanced and in-situ solid-state NMR techniques, which he applies to characterize functional cellulose and energy storage systems.

Presenter: Edina Šić (Eduard Zintl Institute for Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany)

After completing her BSc/MSc degree in chemistry at the TU-Darmstadt, Edina Šić started her doctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Gutmann and Prof. Buntkowsky in 2021. Currently, she focuses on investigation of energy storage materials, especially on characterization of sodium and lithium based electrochemical systems by in-situ solid-state NMR technique.