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| Initial discovery amounts of battery materials are small compared to the kilo-scale amounts needed for validation of new battery technologies. |
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Argonne researcher Sabine Gallagher loads a sample mount of battery cathode materials for X-ray diffraction, an analysis tool for obtaining information on the crystallographic structure and composition of materials. |
Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF)
Argonne's new Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) supports the laboratory's Advanced Battery Materials Synthesis and Manufacturing R&D Program. The MERF is enabling the development of manufacturing processes for producing advanced battery materials in sufficient quantity for industrial testing.
The research conducted in this program is known as process scale-up. Scale-up R&D involves taking a laboratory-developed process and modifying it to enable economical commercial-scale production. This represents one of the most significant hurdles in transitioning new battery materials and technologies to the market.
By bridging the gap between small-scale laboratory research and high-volume battery manufacturing, research at the MERF will lead to substantial progress in the development, validation and ultimate commercialization of advanced battery materials chemistries.
While the MERF will support Argonne’s R&D program in batteries and ultracapacitors, it will also be structured as a user facility open to outside organizations, including other national laboratories, universities and industry for the validation of new materials and materials processing.
Funding for this work is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Program.
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November 2012
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