Currently, the market of battery electric-based vehicles is growing exponentially. According to data recently published by the International Energy Agency, the electric cars market exceeded 10 million sales in 2022 with market shares that have gone from 4% of the total market to 14% in 2022 and to a 18% estimation for 2023. A tendency that is just rising towards the full replacement of traditional internal combustion engine-based cars and that is estimated to account for USD 508.8 billion in 2033. In parallel to technological developments to improve the performance of the batteries themselves, there are challenges associated with the safety of this technology. Among those, higher resistance-to-fire originated within battery systems is one of the most imperative challenges that need to be tackled, since fire incidents derived from lithium-ion battery-related issues have led to growing concerns from consumers’ point of view.

The main objective of the project Synergistic solutions to enhancing fire-safety on battery systems for e-mobility is the development of new synergistic or flameretardant additives, based mainly on functionalized silicates that significantly improve the fire retardancy behavior of different thermoplastics formulations for battery cases. For this purpose, the project will merge two methodically distinct research paths. The first one is an exploratory path through laboratory automation and machine learning methodologies to screen the space of possible strategies to design the silicate-based synergists and nanocomposite formulations to identify suitable targets for further study. The second one is the detailed characterization of the identified polymer nanocomposite formulations in the context of e-mobility applications, focusing on mechanical performance at high temperature and flame-retardant properties, using state-of-the-art testing methodologies to provide a deep understanding of the behavior of the identified high performing formulations with the thermoplastic materials most widely used to manufacture battery cases (PP, PA, PP, PBT). Together, they will provide comprehensive high-value science-informed assessment of the different strategies for the design of new synergistic additives and their corresponding nanocomposite formulations. To study the possible application of these new materials, we will design, prepare, and characterize the new additives through physical and chemical treatments and processes that will allow us to adapt the nature of the material to specific properties (rheology, elasticity, thermos-resistance, etc.) required by the application.

BAT4FIRE objective: the results of this project will allow TOLSA to introduce its materials into a new market application in which the company has no presence yet, and that, according to recent reports, has a 16.3% CAGR from 2023 to 2034 and its crucial for the social acceptance and reputation of the e-mobility sector. The rise of this market and the technological diversity that is being developed in the field of batteries provide the opportunity to explore new materials that allow improving state-of-the-art towards more efficient formulations to overcome current and future technological challenges.