The global battery industry is constantly looking to improve the production process of lithium-ion batteries- reduce costs, production time and environmental impact. On the other end of the commercial chain, recycling of used LIBs is becoming a growing concern all over the world with many challenges inhibiting the process, mainly the separation of materials in the cells and use of “forever chemicals” like PVDF and PTFE.

Our solution
A direct, simultaneous extrusion process of the whole cell stack, while using non-fluorinated, easy to extrude polymers as the foundation of all cell components.
Each electrode is extruded with a thermoplastic binder, which is similar to the main polymer of the quasi-solid electrolyte between them. Future research will also tackle polymer-based current collectors, replacing the more expensive and heavy metals used today and enable production of bipolar, metal free cells with higher energy densities than conventional cells.
The cells received by this method will be easier to manufacture than standard LIBs- less solvents, time, energy, space and manpower. In addition, by using a common thermoplastic polymer for all components, breaking the cells down for recycling will be more efficient and less polluting than common hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical recycling methods.

Applications
• Thanks to the common thermoplastic polymer in the battery components the integrated cells will be flexible enough to be incorporated into wearable technology, such as smart watches, glasses and clothes.
• With the scale-up of the extrusion process, the advantages of the production method will make it a viable candidate for larger applications such as phones, computers and small transportation devices.

Status
• Full working cells based on all extruded electrodes and separator have been demonstrated.
• Films of all components have been produced, solvent-free with ~80%wt active materials