CALIBER: Conductive Additives to reduce Lithium Ion Battery Electrode Resistance

Talga group is a battery anode and graphene producer. It is establishing itself as a key UK and European Lithium Ion Battery (LIB) materials supplier with a strong focus on environmentally friendly, low carbon footprint anode products. As part of the anode production process, a significant proportion of graphite feed is removed by classification to enhance the anode performance. This waste stream can be converted into graphene and graphene-like materials using Talga's innovative production methods. A preliminary study has shown that Talga graphene variants may be used to enhance battery performance. The CALIBER project explores the suitability of graphene as conductive additives in LIB.

Conductive additives are an essential part of a battery structure. These are carbon-based materials that are added into the battery electrodes, anode and cathode, to ensure the electrodes are more electrically conducting. This in turn enables faster charging and longer battery life. This project aims to develop a graphene material with size, shape and purity that is optimal for LIB battery use. The materials produced in this project will be extensively tested in battery cells with market leading cathodes, as well as the next generation silicon anode materials. The Talga conductive additives will be compared to current state-of-the-art commercial competitors.

The main conductive additive in use today is carbon black. It is easily processed into the electrodes, but it is non-crystalline. Crystalline carbon, such as graphene or carbon nanotubes, far outperform carbon black in conductivity. Although the use of graphene as conductive additives has been explored in literature, its wider use has been hindered by availability, consistency and price. Talga aims to provide the UK battery industry with an innovative and eco-friendly mass produced graphene. As the raw material will be sourced from the size-selected waste stream from battery anode refinery, the product is expected to overcome the above challenges to commercialisation. The success of this project would be a big step towards establishing a sustainable, self-sufficient, local supply of conductive additives that offers UK battery industry competitive advantages in both cost and performance.