As the world shifts toward electric vehicles and renewable energy, making battery production more sustainable is a top priority.
A team of researchers in Germany has developed a new method that could transform how batteries are made—cutting costs, reducing pollution, and paving the way for the next generation of clean energy.
The innovation, called DRYtraec, is a new way to make battery electrodes—one of the most important parts of any battery.
Typically, electrodes are made by mixing materials into a wet slurry that gets spread onto metal foils.
This mixture uses toxic solvents and requires large, energy-hungry ovens to dry it, making the process expensive, environmentally harmful, and space-consuming.
Instead, DRYtraec uses a dry method, applying a powder mixture directly onto the metal foil without any solvents.
The powder contains the same active materials found in traditional batteries, along with carbon black and a binder. By pressing the powder between special rollers, the particles are held together through a process called fibrillation, which makes the binder form tiny threads that lock everything in place. The result is a solid, high-quality electrode layer—without the need for drying.
Not only does this method save energy and space, but it also works well with advanced battery designs, including sodium-ion and solid-state batteries, which are considered important technologies for the future. In fact, the dry process helps maintain the performance of materials that might otherwise degrade in wet production methods.
The DRYtraec technology has already shown it can match or even outperform traditional methods in terms of battery stability and performance. It also allows for coating both sides of the electrode foil in one step, making the process even more efficient.
First developed in 2013 by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS), the DRYtraec method has since been patented and refined. It is now ready for large-scale manufacturing. A major company in the European auto industry has already licensed the technology, and more industrial partners are expected to follow.
By cutting out harmful solvents and slashing energy use, DRYtraec could help make the battery production process much greener.
It also helps keep costs down—an important step in making electric vehicles more affordable for everyone. As researchers continue to improve this technology, it could play a major role in building a more sustainable, climate-friendly future for mobility and energy.
Source: KSR.
