Soteria Battery Innovation Group
Challenge: Lithium Battery Fires are Expensive
Separator Failure: Fire
Separator Failure: Fire Fuse Stops Ignition: No Fire
Separator never melts or shrinks
Metal layers fail like a fuse
1st, 2nd and 3rd Generation Separators
1st generation shrink ~ 130 C
2nd generation shrink ~175 C
3rd generation stable >300 C◦ No unstable polymer component
◦ High temperature materials incorporated in homogenous composite
◦ Often stable to 500 C
Thermo Mechanical Analysis—measures shrinkage as a function of temperature
1st Gen 2nd Gen 3rd Gen
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Stra
in (
%)
Temperature (C)
PP PP/PE Tri Layer Ceramic PE Dreamweaver Gold
Dreamweaver Technology PlatformCombination of microfiber & nanofiber
◦ Gives small pore size with strength
Swelling nanofiber ➔ gelled electrolyte◦ Improves cycle life in pouch cells
High temperature fibers◦ Dramatically improved safety
Formation: SEI on separator◦ SEI on separator reduces pore size after battery
formed.
Supercalendered/high density◦ Allows nonwoven separators with porosity down
to 30%. Smaller pore size & stronger.
Flame Test: 3rd Gen Separator Saturated with Electrolyte
https://youtu.be/j9XWJgTlT1w
WATCH THE VIDEO
Metallized Current CollectorA new current collector, composed of a thin, light weight substrate with metal coated on each side
Enough metal to give great electrical properties under normal operations.
Metal layer is thin enough to “fuse” or disappear with current densities associated with a shorting defect
Cell electrical requirements handled by thickness of metal coating, Manufacturing strength handled by substrate. Both can be engineered to suit
Current Collector Properties
◦ Base film: 10 mm, 13.7 g/m2, PET; Both thicker and thinner base films available, as well as different composition (PP, PEN, etc.)
10mm Cu Soteria Cu Prototype 15mm Al Soteria Al Prototype
Thickness 10mm 11mm 15mm 11mmMetal Thickness 10mm 0.7 mm per side 15mm 0.5 mm per sideWeight 90 g/m2 26.3 g/m2 43 g/m2 16.4 g/m2
Tensile 400 N/mm2 120N/mm2 150 N/mm2 126 N/mm2
Elongation 4% 38% 4% 48%
Copper Aluminum
Bulk Current Characteristics
The current limits could be tripled if metal was 1.5 mm per side.
y = 0.1633x + 0.3511
y = 0.53x + 1.1289
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 5 10 15 20 25
Cu
rre
nt
(A)
Width (mm)
Safe current (A) fail current (A)
Linear (Safe current (A)) Linear (fail current (A))
Point current CharacteristicsProperty Aluminum Copper
0.11 mm fuse current 2.4 A
0.8 mm fuse current 7 A 10 A
Vertical Touch TestProperty Aluminum Copper
Voltage 1.5 V 2.1 V
Current 4.5 A 6.3 A
Time before broken 5 ms 28 ms
Joules generated 4 x 10-6 J 4 x 10-5 J
Once a short is created, the time before it is broken is so short that almost no energy is generated.
Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA)In a Li-ion cell
◦ Cu used for anode because Al at low voltages reacts with Li. Cu does not.
Soteria Cu-clad Al over Cu foil ◦ Al conductor with Cu outer layer
replacement for Cu foil
◦ Lighter, thinner and less costly than solid Cu
◦ Al brings better safety performance to the anode
8 mm Cu foilweight 72 g/m2
3 mm polyester filmweight 4 g/m2
2 layers of 300 nm Al, weight 2 g/m2
2 layers of 50 nm Cu, weight 1 g/m2
0
10
20
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80
Weight Thickness
Wei
ght
(g/m
2),
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ickn
ess
(mm
)
Cu-clad Al Film vs. Cu Foil
Cu Foil Cu-clad Al Film
vs.
Cu-clad Al used in building wiring and coax cables10% - 15% Cu by volumeLighter and less costly than pure copperHigh freq skin effect➔ impedance = pure copper
Samples available late summer 2018
Conventional Material Nail Penetration
Nail allows current to flow between layersV = 4.0 V, I = 50 A
High current density is key source of thermal runaway associated with dendrites and manufacturing defects.
Watch Video: https://youtu.be/4uKyOb0PxaE
Soteria Architecture Material Nail Penetration
Metallized current collector does not allow current to flow when contacted at point contactV = 4.0 V, I = 0 A
Eliminating current at point contacts will eliminate thermal events associated with dendrites and manufacturing defects.
SoteriaTM
Watch Video: https://youtu.be/Bdt2MsWdltE
ImpedanceBASE SOTERIA FILM IMPEDANCE
CELL RESULTS (3AH NMC POUCH CELL)
Foil Soteria Film
Anode (Cu) 10um, 1.72 m/sq. 11um, 24/12 m/sq. (1 side/2 side)
Cathode (Al) 15um, 1.77 m/sq. 11um, 52/26 m/sq. (one side/ 2 side)
Cell Weight (g)
Impedance (m) Capacity (Ah)
1000Hz AC
C/5 DC 2C DC C/5 C/2 C 1.5C 2C
Foil 59.8 13.5 15.1 15.5 2.82 2.75 2.66 2.59 2.53
Soteria 52.5 18.6 21.3 22.1 2.73 2.68 2.62 2.55 2.46
ImpedanceFOIL ELECTRODE SOTERIA ELECTRODE
Film
Metal
Metal
“pie dough over cherries” draping
Foil
No indentions in surface
Welding/Tabs
Ultrasonic welding of tabs works, connects to both sides of foil, and gives good strength after taping.
Cross section shows metal from tab will push through polymer to contact both sides.
Weld
through
TabFilm
Soteria 3Ah Life After Damage Test Result• Fully charged (4.2V) 3Ah NMC pouch cell made with Soteria Al and Cu metallized film current collectors
• Nailpen test performed
• Cell post nailpen had nail removed, and then discharged to assess remaining capacity
• Post Capacity test, Cell was cycled at 1C rate to assess performance
Nail Pen
• Themocouple on surface near penetration point max temp 26C• Voltage no detected perturbation
Post Nail Pen Capacity• Nail removed, cell discharged at C rate (3A)
•Total capacity remaining: 2025mAh
•Achieved 2Ah/3Ah - ~66% remaining capacity at 1C: Soteria Life After Damage Level 1 performance.
Life after damage Rating OCV
Remaining capacity at
1C notes
0 95% + 80%+ Minimal reduction of capacity
1 75% 50% - 79% Moderate reduction of capacity
2 50% 25% - 49% Emergency capacity remaining
3 <50% < 24% No useful capacity
Cells at 100% charge prior to test
OCV & capacity measured at stabilized voltage post test
Post Nail Pen Cycling• After capacity check discharge, cell cycled at C rate (3A)
•Capacity decreased on each subsequent charge/discharge from 2028mAh to 1125mAh
2.1 Ah Cell – 100 % SOC (4.2 V)Al coated polymer current collectorWithout ISC device
Run 72
Notice that there is no ‘spring-back’ as the polymer CC travels with the nail.
No thermal runaway propagation.
Do polymer collectors help protect against mechanically-induced thermal runaway?
Run 80 – N05-07 Soteria Al & Cu Collectors (cont.)
Fine focused CT image with 5.5 micron resolution
◦ Both plastic collectors are visible◦ Cathode is bright layer with thin dark line in middle
◦ Anode is dark layer with thin brighter line in middle
◦ Collector appears missing near nail impingement interface◦ Only active material left dangling
◦ Nail impingement causes several additional creases in the JR
CT Images from UCL
Cell Design Discharge CurveMetallized plastic collectors have negligible impact on performance
Typical Cell Phone Cell – Stack Comparison
Part Length Width Thickness Weight Soteria Thickness Soteria Wt Wt SavingsUnits mm mm microns grams micronsFull Cell 105Copper 595 90 7 3.37 4 0.47 86%Anode 515 85 75 6.89 75 6.89Aluminum 650 90 10 1.58 4 0.33 79%Cathode 570 85 70 9.50 70 9.50Separator 700 95 10 0.93 12 0.67 29%Total 2730 23.21 2655 18.51 20%
• For EVs and energy storage, which typically use thicker metal, the weight savings would be more• Similar savings at the pack level might be available due to increased cell safety and wider operating temperatures
While saving only a few grams (2%) for a cell phone, it will remove ~200 lbs from an EV (3-4%).
Material & Cells Drop In To Normal Production
MATERIAL PRODUCTION
Current Collector◦ Vacuum deposition
◦ Similar to food pkg
Separator
BATTERY PRODUCTION
Coating
Stacking & Winding
Refining Papermaking Calendering
Both materials made on existing robust manufacturing processes adopted from other industries.
Both materials are drop in replacements to existingmaterials in normal lithium ion battery production.
Material Cost Comparison & Effect on Cell Costs
COSTS & EFFECT ON CELL COSTS LITHIUM ION CELL COST STRUCTURE
Separator:◦ Estimate 20-40% cost savings vs incumbent
separators
Current collector◦ Estimate 20-40% cost savings of 7% in “other
materials”◦ Metal alone reduces by >$4/kWh
Total Effect◦ ~30% material cost savings on separator, current
collector◦ ~4% cost savings on cell cost◦ Additional savings at module & pack level
◦ Reduced need for accessory safety materials
20-40% savings on foil, separator
Market Access Requires Multiple Suppliers
3M NMC
2000 – 04: Patents filed
200X – 06: NMC product launched
March 07: Law suit filed
2007: Settlements and licenses with Panasonic, Matsushita, Sony, Sanyo.
2009+: licenses to ATL, Umicore, L&F, Hunan Reshine, Ecopro, LG Chem, Johnson Matthey
2017: Sold business to Umicore
2017: NMC ~30% of lithium battery market
3M never successful selling powder
CELGARD CERAMIC COATED SEPARATORS
2001: Patent filed
200N – 11: Product launched
2010-15: Law suits with LG Chem, Sumitomo, SK Innovation. Customers affected: Tesla, Apple, LG, others
2013+: Suits result in licenses, and other licenses also occur.
2015: Asahi Kasei purchases Polypore’s battery separator business, including Celgard, for $2.2 B
2017: Ceramic coating 35% of lithium battery market
License to Best Advanced Materials Suppliers & Set Standards
OPEN MARKET APPROACH
To license the Soteria battery technology to the best advanced materials companies
To develop a set of aggressive test standards that highlight the advanced safety performance of the Soteria battery architecture
To get those standards adopted in electronics, electric vehicles, energy storage and the broader lithium ion battery industry
30
CONSORTIUM MEMBERS
Market Target: 25% Market Penetration in 10 Years (2028)Current Market
◦ ~1.5 B m2 each of separators, current collectors
◦ 20% CAGR
◦ 20 B m2 total in 2028 (10% auto penetration)
25% of market in 10 years◦ 5 B m2/year, ~$5 B of materials
◦ Separators◦ ~30-40,000 T/y of fiber
◦ 2.5 B m2 ~ 25 machines each @ 100 M m2/year, +5/year
◦ Current collectors◦ 17,500 T/year plastic, 12,750 T/year metal
◦ 2.5 B m2 ~ 80 machines each @ 10 M m2/year, +16/year
This is the motivation for supply chain partners to support us through membership fees.
An Open ConsortiumTHE CONSORTIUM IS
Dedicated to improving lithium ion battery safety◦ Any cell that passes the certification can use the
mark, regardless of material
Doing shared R&D, with each company playing it’s natural role
◦ Reducing parallel efforts by sharing the R&D burden
A network for sharing information for companies with common goals
A way to get IP from small, innovative companies to large, stable, licensed manufacturers
THE CONSORTIUM IS NOT
A monopoly◦ Anybody can join as an Adopter/Associate/Licensee
◦ Global, non-exclusive licenses for a broad supply chain
◦ No raw material & equipment purchase restrictions
◦ Ongoing royalty rate only partially offsets material cost savings, resulting in a net cost-down
An IP trap◦ No grant backs of IP required
◦ Member developments belongs to that member
◦ Nobody is locked into using Soteria IP
Types of MembershipsADOPTER MEMBERSHIP
Available to cell mfg, OEMs, test labs, universities
Allows R&D
Receive samples
Attend confidential Adopter meetings
Agree not to violate intellectual property
Fee:
$1,000 annually
ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
Available to anyone
All Adopter Membership rights
Participate on committees
Attend confidential Associate and Adopter meetings
Only membership available for material, equipment, service providers
Fee: ◦ $25,000 if >$100M revenue
◦ others $7,500 (including gov’t, schools & nonprofit)
In a cell, royalty is 3% of about 15% of the cell cost, or 0.45%. At $100/kWh, would be $45 on a 100 kWh EV.
Awards: Most Fundable and Innostars
Entrepreneur Magazine Most Fundable Companies➔#1 out of 2500 applicants➔published Entrepreneur Magazine Oct 24
Innostars (by US China Innovation Alliance)➔#1 Advanced Materials
Soteria Management Team
• MS EE Michigan Tech• 27 years auto & automotive• Chief engineer at two lithium ion
battery companies• Author of book on electric vehicles
• 3rd startup• PhD Physics Ohio State• 200 patents• $1 billion in product sales from
patents
Thank you!
Technology Member Company ParticipationMaterials Members→Test your materials in these structures, and adapt them (or choose best of existing products) to help licensees improve the eventual performance
Potential Licensees→Work to develop uniquely positioned products leveraging your company strengths to offer a differentiated product within the architecture→When ready, buy license and offer unique and improved product offering
Cell Manufacturers→Test the prototypes and give feedback to help with optimization→When ready, launch new products using materials
Equipment/Process Members→Prove and improve the manufacturability of the materials to optimize performance, uniformity & yield
Test/Development Labs→Help develop aggressive safety standards→Become qualification lab for use of architecture/brand
Soteria goal is for each company to develop a unique product offering within this total architecture
Licenses & Material Purchase within SBIGMaterial Purchases
◦ All member agreements contain a clause that material that is covered by SBIG patents will only be purchased from members who have a license to those patents.
◦ The licensees have no restrictions on who they buy their equipment and raw materials from, or who they subcontract for partial/full manufacture.
Licenses◦ Each covers only current collector or separator.
◦ Global, nonexclusive, non-sublicensable, limited transfer rights, perpetual until last patent expires.
◦ Require membership. Fee disappears once royalties exceed fee.
◦ Economic terms: 5% royalty, dropping to 3% with (total) volume. “Meaningful” up front fee is $600,000 for first license, goes up by 25% for each successive license (for each technology)
In a cell, royalty is 3% of about 15% of the cell cost, or 0.45%. At $100/kWh, would be $45 on a 100 kWh EV.