Success Story #1 | Pioneering Next-Gen Battery Technology with the First Thin-Film Innovative Prototype Sensors

The Horizon Europe HEALING BAT Project is breaking new ground in battery innovation with sensor-enabled batteries that feature built-in healing mechanisms. These smart cell technologies address the unique challenges posed by next-generation batteries, including new failure modes that demand equally novel solutions.

From Concept to Prototype: A Collaborative Success

We’re pleased to announce that our first thin-film prototype sensors are now complete and ready for integration into a battery pouch cell. Achieving this milestone has been a remarkable team effort, blending diverse expertise to deliver innovation.

Here’s how the collaboration came together:

• Coventry University brought critical insights into interfacing with battery management systems, defining the electrical and connection requirements.
• The HEALING BAT consortium collectively designed a relevant model cell and battery, ensuring alignment across teams.
• CPI’s materials scientists identified potential failure modes and selected materials to mitigate risks effectively.
• CPI’s Photonics and Electronics team developed a lithographic process for the sensors, overcoming significant design constraints.
• CPI’s barrier materials scientists ensured complete encapsulation and electrical isolation from the battery to guarantee sensor functionality.

Real-Time Insights from Ultra-Thin Sensors

These 30-micron-thick sensors are set to measure real-time temperature within a battery pouch cell. Next steps include collaboration with Coventry University to optimise sensor monitoring circuitry. Future iterations will integrate additional capabilities, such as thermistors, pressure sensors, and gas sensors, developed with our partners at TU Dortmund University. These advancements promise to unlock valuable new insights into battery health and performance.

Meanwhile Helmholtz-Zentrum has now received dummy prototype to develop the integration of this technology in Lithium – Sulfur battery cells.

A Multifaceted, Multidisciplinary Initiative

The sensor development is just one aspect of the broader HEALING BAT Project, which spans a wide range of cutting-edge research areas, including:

• Advanced lithium-sulfur battery development
• Self-healing technologies
• Data science
• Lifecycle analysis

This inherently multidisciplinary initiative reflects the collaborative strength of leading European institutions united under the Horizon Europe framework.

We’re eager to see what these early prototypes reveal and how the insights gained will drive innovation not only in batteries but also in sensors, biosensors, and beyond.

The HEALING BAT Project demonstrates the power of collaboration in tackling the challenges of tomorrow’s energy solutions. Stay connected as we continue to push the boundaries of battery technology.