Competence increasingly focused on trend topic of battery technology
Battery technology is a key technology for the mobility and energy supply of the future. Plastics are key materials in this context. For this reason, several research projects are currently underway at SKZ in Würzburg. One project also deals with the development of new training courses and professions.
Production of a battery suspension (Photo: EZD)
Several research and training projects of the German Plastics Center SKZ are focusing on this topic.
Battery-powered vehicles are on the rise, and more and more homes are relying on batteries to store excess solar power for the night. This means that the technical possibility of storing energy for later use is becoming increasingly important. Since plastics also play an important role in this context, SKZ is working intensively on this topic.
For example, in cooperation with the Leibnitz Institutes at the SKZ site in Selb, the European Center for Dispersion Technologies (EZD), a new large-scale production process for electrodes based on nanostructured vanadium oxide (VOX) and carbon has been developed. This provides the basis for high-power sodium-ion batteries and the use of cobalt-free storage systems. In another project called BATMACHINE, the EZD is working with colleagues from the SKZ in Würzburg to develop a sustainable production method and to optimize the production process using non-destructive testing. The project involves partners from all over Europe and is funded by the European Commission's Horizon Europe program.
SKZ's expertise in the field of battery technology is also being applied in the area of continuing education. In the B³ Battery Education Network Bavaria project, six renowned battery research institutes in Bavaria and the Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bbw) are working together to develop methods, content and teaching materials for training future specialists in battery cell production. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), the aim is to provide a sound education as a basis for the battery cell production of the future.
Other topics are in the pipeline to ensure that the plastics side of the business is also fit for the future and to develop technical processes that offer competitive advantages.
Further information on the VoxCoat project of the EZD
Further information on the Battery Education Network Bavaria
