Docent Syrový is involved in the development of a battery that repairs itself

Tomáš Syrový, a scientist at the Faculty of Chemical Technology at the University of Pardubice, is working on a new generation of smart batteries. The European project called Salamander aims for an advanced type of lithium battery with intelligent functions. Scientists from seven European countries are involved in the development of the battery of the future, which should be used, for example, in the production of electric cars.

"Our goal is a battery that monitors its own "health" status and can activate the process of restoring its capacity," says doc. Tomáš Syrový from the Department of Graphic Arts and Photophysics at the Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice. "To monitor its capacity and restore it, if necessary, it needs to have sensors in it that allow it to do so. It is the research into these sensors that is my role in the project," the scientist said.

The project intends to develop a Li-Ion battery similar to the one in common use today. Smart features include thin-film printed sensors for monitoring the battery's state of health (SOH). When the battery reaches a certain level of wear, or an undesirable condition is indicated by the sensors, it can activate a recovery process to restore capacity or suppress the undesirable condition. The new type of battery is expected to be used in the future, for example in electric vehicles or stationary battery storage.

Scientists need to address materials related to the regenerative capabilities of the cell, the design of the cells themselves, sensor integration, and sensor data analysis using BMS. They will also address the interaction between the conventional cell components, the new sensors and the electrodes that enable cell regeneration. The goal is to produce pilot battery cells.

In the project, the partners also emphasized assessing the impact of production with regard to sustainability. Improving battery quality and lifetime can facilitate the transition to decarbonised and clean energy systems for electricity storage in decentralised grids or electrified transport.

The project is supported by the Battery 2030+ initiative, a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The project, involving researchers from 7 European countries, is coordinated by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Kjeller, Norway.