The focus of the Fiber Optic Sensor Systems department at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI is on application-oriented research and on the development of a new generation of photonic sensors, which are characterized by extreme miniaturization, high network and communication capability and exceptionally low power consumption. By utilizing Bragg grating sensors, an optical monitoring of the state of charge and state of health of individual battery cells is realized, which enables an improved detection of malfunctions as well as a dedicated system analysis. In order to develop battery status sensors target-oriented for realistic application areas, the HHI operates a battery and sensor test center, in which batteries are comprehensively examined in cooperation with research partners on cell, module and system level by electrical, thermal, mechanical and chemical stress tests.

The HHI is focusing on the development and production of fiber optical sensors for cross-influence-free, electrochemically inert and thus non-destructive measurement of mechanical, thermal and chemical states in the interior of cells. For this purpose, the sensor zones are functionalized in such a way that measurements in the active materials and in the electrolyte are possible over the entire life span of a cell. Through the interaction with conventional monitoring systems, degradation processes can be classified and correspondingly separated from each other in terms of signal components, so that a valuable contribution can be provided to the comprehensive and, above all, time-efficient characterization of new types of cell materials.

Project participations

The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing and Advanced Materials IFAM is one of the leading independent research organizations in Europe in the fields of shaping and functional materials and adhesive bonding technology and surfaces. Currently 700 employees in 20 departments focusing theirs scientific know how in seven core competences which are metalic materials, polymers, surface technology, bounding, shaping and functionalisation. Fraunhofer IFAM covers the whole value-creation chain from the development of new materials and product design up to the integration into industrial production – including pilot trials and customized workforce training in new technologies. Since 15 Years Fraunhofer IFAM’s Department for Electrical Energy Storage has been doing research on materials science and manufacturing technology solutions for the next generation of batteries.

The department of Energy storage focuses with its broad and long-lasting experience in material and process development, for manufacturing and design of electrodes and battery cells, particularly for Lithium Ion batteries but also on the next generation batteries like all solid state batteries and metal-air systems, to improve specific storage energy, service life / cycle stability, operational safety and cost-benefit ratio.

Based on the core competences on electrochemistry, powder technology and process technology, the synthesis of new materials, evaluation of alternative process technologies for electrode processing and cell aging mechanisms will be addressed. For this the complete value chain from powder synthese to cell manufacturing and characterization will be available at the institute.

In addition the modelling for aging prediction and quality evaluation with focus on operation strategies for batteries will be addressed. Based on the collection of extensive relevant battery cells data new models for lifetime prediction will be analysed.

Project participations

BeLiMIA

The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB conducts applied research and development in the field of electronic systems for application in, e.g., electric mobility, aerospace, Industry 4.0, power grids or energy technology. In this connection, the institute uniquely covers the entire value chain – from basic materials to whole power electronic system.

As part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the IISB does contract research for industry as well as public authorities. On that note, it is the institute’s main objective to provide excellent research for its industrial partners and to set technological benchmarks as one of the leading research institutions in electronic systems. A tightly woven network build out of local and international partnerships and cooperations helps to carry these aims into effect.

With its two business areas, semiconductors and power electronics, the IISB provides innovation and solutions in various specialized fields:

• materials development
• semiconductor technology and manufacturing
• electron devices
• packaging and modules
• vehicle power electronics
• energy electronics and energy supply systems

These services are supplemented by broad activities in test and reliability, simulation, characterization, and metrology.

In addition to silicon technology, the IISB has a strong focus on wide-bandgap semiconductors, especially silicon carbide (SiC). For SiC, the institute offers a complete technology backbone, including materials science, devices, modules, and their integration in highly efficient power electronic systems.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB conducts applied research and development in the field of intelligent energy systems and technologies with applications in the field of electrification of mobile systems (e.g., electric mobility), Industry 4.0 (e.g., Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning), energy (e.g., development of battery systems and fuel cells) and power grid technologies (DC-grids, HVDC).The IISB covers the value chain from primary materials up to the complete power electronics system. Sustainable energy supply and mobility as key elements to overcome global challenges determine the focus of the IISB to develop technologically leading solutions with a comprehensive view on the overall system. In 2016, IISB has published the open-source battery management system foxBMS®. More than 100 companies and research institutes have chosen to use the foxBMS® platform and develop products derived from this basis. IISB implements innovative simulation frameworks for battery system design and assembly space optimization e.g., for applications with specific requirements in the field of industry, transportation and avionics.

Project participations

The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg develops materials and processes for a variety of applications and sectors on behalf of industry and makes with its resource-saving material solutions essential contributions to energy supply, climate protection, clean environment, biomedicine and adaptive systems. The focus is on glass, hybrid polymers, smart materials and materials based on renewable raw materials. Future-oriented battery materials and concepts for efficient stationary and mobile energy storage are provided by the Research and Development Center for Electromobility FZEB, which is part of Fraunhofer ISC. In cooperation with industrial and research partners, electrode materials, electrolytes and other cell components as well as processes for their production and processing up to pilot plant scale are developed.

Main areas of work are the optimization of established battery systems, material and process concepts for solid-state batteries, aging studies and the development of new methods and sensors for non-invasive cell monitoring. Within the excellence cluster BattNutzung, the Fraunhofer ISC manages the project MADAM4Life. The main focus of FZEB’s activities in MADAM4Life is to lay the foundation for deriving an alternative end-of-life (EoL) criterion than 80% SoH by operando monitoring the battery cell’s states and aging with ultrasound in transmission (UT). This alternative EoL criterion will give an enhanced reliability for the transition from linear to non-linear cell aging, allowing for an optimized energy usage at constant operation load.

Project participations

MADAM4Life

The further development of existing battery cell systems as well as the research and adaptation of novel approaches for rechargeable batteries have been an essential field of work of the group “Battery Systems for Special Applications” at ISIT for more than 20 years. The focus is on new materials or material formulations for electrodes, new electrolyte systems and new separators. Further developed manufacturing processes, which lead to an improvement of cell performance, a cost reduction and/or a reduction of environmentally harmful emissions, are also the subject of the research work.

Over the years, ISIT has built up a flexible manufacturing platform that enables the practical implementation of cell development. In addition to the actual cell technology, ISIT has also been working on the integration of cells into modules and battery systems for many years.

The main objective of this sub-project is the observation of aging mechanisms with different methods, but especially by using cell-internal sensors. In this way, the investigation methods developed or applied in the project will be evaluated and an insight into the aging processes will be gained. Another part of this work package deals with the processes of forced aging caused by loads outside the working range of the cell. This will also allow a comparison of the influence of different cell-internal and cell-external parameters on aging. In this way, the foundations are to be laid for future analysis and resolution of the various processes involved in real cell aging.

Project participations

MADAM4Life

BetterBat

SimBAS

BeLiMIA

NUBase

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) brings decades of experience in the field of battery system technology, operational management, battery aging and post-mortem analysis to the project. In recent years, Fraunhofer ISE has carried out numerous R&D projects in this area, like the investigation of battery cells and systems for suitability for second life applications and the development of innovative non-destructive characterization methods of aging of the battery cells and their investigation by post-mortem analysis of battery electrodes carried out using analytical methods. The opening of the new battery technology center at Fraunhofer ISE is scheduled for 2021. This expansion of the laboratory space will result in an expansion of the testing possibilities.

The aim of the project OrtOptZelle is to find correlations between spatially resolved aging processes, inhomogeneity of expansion at a pouch cell and targeted compression to slow down certain types of degradation. It is intended to network strongly with other topic areas within the competence cluster. By modeling the ideal compression of the cell for a prolonged life, we can cooperate with A1. By developing new non-destructive measuring methods for the quantification of local expansion or pressure build-up, we will generate results for A2. We can define the accelerated aging tests and suitable end-of-life criteria to our spatially resolved compressed cells and make them available for B2 and B3.

At the same time, we deliver measured values for the validation of modeling parameters. The evaluation of the location-specific compressed cells on the battery module and system level should be discussed in C2. The readjustment of the compression on the cell for second life use should be considered with a cooperation with C3. As part of the project, it would also be advisable to examine the cells produced in the FFB regarding the proposed methodology and to work out strategies for extending the service life through pressure optimization.

Project participations

OrtOptZelle

BetterBat

The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI conducts applied research and sees itself as an independent innovator for society, policy and industry. Our competence in the field of innovation research is based on the synergy of technical, economic and social science knowledge of our staff. In our work, we apply a broad spectrum of scientifically based analysis, evaluation and forecasting methods.

For our clients, we investigate the scientific, economic, ecological, social, organisational, legal and political conditions for the emergence of innovations and their implications. This makes Fraunhofer ISI one of the leading innovation research institutes in Europe.

Fraunhofer ISI is leading the cluster project “BetterBat” and is particularly contributing its systemic competences. On the content side, ISI focuses on the identification and evaluation of relevant mobile applications and their characterisation. Here, the ISI provides its competences in particular on the side of the subsequent systemic analysis of the applications. This enables a holistic view of the applications that goes beyond a purely techno-economic analysis. Furthermore, the ISI supports the subsequent multi-criteria evaluation and is responsible, together with the project partners and experts from industry and research, for identifying concrete improvement options and solution concepts for reducing the GAP between battery technology and application requirements.

Project participations

BetterBat

The Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI engages in the field of electromobility and its sub-technologies. One focus of the industry-related research is the cross-component condition monitoring of vehicle systems, especially the battery. Further core competencies are the battery data evaluation as well as the prognoses of the calendrical and cyclical aging process based on this data. For this purpose, dedicated analysis methods and algorithms are developed.

The institute is equipped with test channels and climatic chambers, so that laboratory tests can be carried out in situ. In addition, Fraunhofer IVI operates a telematics-based battery monitoring system that collects data from batteries in different applications (truck, bus, car, train) and transmits them to its own big data server infrastructure, where it can be accessed and analyzed.

The Fraunhofer IVI commands the project management. Its main research task is the scenario- and field-data-based prediction of the remaining useful life and capacity of a battery. To this end, the institute relies on its competencies in data acquisition, processing and analysis as well as the development of methods and algorithms.

Hence, the Fraunhofer IVI is in charge of the construction of a battery-specific neural network, trained with real driving data, first for individual vehicles and, based on this, across a vehicle fleet. The implementation comprises both the battery modeling and the development of a stress-factor-based aging model that predicts the remaining useful life by means of virtual experiments.

In addition, the Fraunhofer IVI is responsible for acquiring the field data and conducting laboratory measurement campaigns.

Project participations

FeBaL