Chemours opens a state-of-the-art battery innovation center to invest in more sustainable and cost-effective batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
The new facility at the Chemours Discovery Hub in Newark will serve as a technical support lab where engineers can test new ways to create sustainable lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Chemours is particularly invested in scaling up the use of a method known as dry electrode coating, which uses a dry film instead of liquid chemicals during the battery production process.
Leader of Chemours’ Clean Energy Venture Stefanie Kopchick says dry electrode coating is better for the environment than traditional methods, and other global battery material manufacturers are looking to pilot similar programs over time.
“What we're doing there, some of the innovations we have with our advanced fluoropolymer binders, is we are able to enable a process that allows you to make these batteries, the electrodes on the batteries, with much lower costs and much less environmental footprint," Kopchick said.
Kopchick says the solvent-free technique can reduce the environmental impact of a battery manufacturer’s operation by 75% and allows for a denser electrode, which can ultimately help EVs go farther on single charge.
“You no longer need all of these lengthy dryers to evaporate off all of these solvents, these toxic solvents, right? You can shrink your footprint that reduces the cost to manufacture the battery.”
Kopchick says they are already selling the novel materials to manufacturers, helping to put Delaware at the forefront of battery innovation.
