New at HZB: Tomography lab for AI-assisted battery research
X-ray tomography of a battery cathode, virtually disassembled into its components. © M. Osenberg, I. Manke/ HZB / Binder/ KIT
At HZB, a laboratory for automated X-ray tomography on solid-state batteries is being set up. The special feature: 3D data during charge/discharge processes (operando) can be evaluated quickly and in a more versatile way using artificial intelligence (AI) methods. The Federal Ministry of Research and Education is funding the "TomoFestBattLab" project with 1.86 million euros.
X-ray tomography allows a direct glimpse into a battery's inner structures during discharging and charging. "For example, when the lithium moves back and forth between the anode and cathode during charging and discharging, the lithium storage material may expand or chemical transformation processes may take place," explains tomography expert Dr Ingo Manke. The three-dimensional imaging of these structural changes can reveal weak points in terms of performance and durability, for example ageing processes. X-ray tomography can map these structural changes and has therefore also become an indispensable measurement technique in battery research - similar to medicine.
HZB is now setting up an automated tomography laboratory that is specifically geared to the needs of solid-state batteries. The evaluation of tomographic measurements is extremely time-consuming because the data volumes are huge and require complex 3D algorithms. Therefore, large parts of the 3D evaluations are to be fully automated with the help of artificial intelligence (or machine learning) methods. This is supported by a special high-performance computer with which so-called "digital twins" of the real batteries can be generated.
This combination of artificial intelligence methods and tomography measurement techniques is an innovative approach with a pilot function for equipping future laboratories. "The project helps us to digitalise battery research with regard to the requirements of Industry 4.0 and to accelerate the development of batteries," says project coordinator Manke.
The new laboratory will support working groups at university and non-university research institutions as well as industrial companies in developing and improving new battery technologies.
Funded until 2024
The project "Machine Learning supported automated laboratory for multi-dimensional Operando Tomography of solid-state batteries under real operating conditions" (TomoFestBattLab, FKZ 03XP0462) is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the initiative to expand the national research infrastructure in the field of battery materials and technologies (ForBatt). The project is funded from 01.09.2022 to 31.08.2024.
- BESSY II: How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteriesAlthough solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from the TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analysed a TiS₂|Li₃YCl₆ solid-state half-cell in operando at BESSY II using a special sample environment that allows for non-destructive investigation under real operating conditions. Data obtained by combination of soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and HAXPES) revealed a new degradation mechanism that had not previously been identified in solid-state batteries. They have gained some surprising insights, particularly regarding the harmful role played by intrinsic oxygen. This study provides valuable information for improving design and handling of such batteries.
- 83 pupils at Girls'Day at HZBOn 23 April 2026, the annual Girl’s Day took place, giving pupils an insight into various career paths in the fields of science and technology. 83 pupils visited the Adlershof and Wannsee sites and enjoyed a day full of exciting experiments.
- Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interfaceHydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper and more efficient catalysts. A precise understanding of the electrochemical processes that take place at the interface between the solid catalyst and the liquid medium is highly useful for developing better electrocatalysts. In the journal Nature Communications, an European team has now presented a powerful model that determines charge separation at the interface, the formation of the electric double layer and local electric potential variations, and the resulting influence on the catalytic activity.