Trafotek Utilizes Laser-driven X-ray Source To Enhance Electric Vehicle Battery Performance

In the future, electric vehicle battery manufacturers can further improve the durability and performance of electric vehicle batteries through compact X-ray sources. This breakthrough is the result of a research project led by XProLas.
Development partners in the XProLas program are currently working on the development of a laser-driven X-ray source, with the first demonstration systems expected in 2026. These systems will provide manufacturers with the ability to monitor battery charging and discharging processes in real time and will be able to identify impurities within the battery with a very high degree of accuracy.
The results of this research will be directly applicable to the development of new batteries, and are expected to improve key performance parameters such as charging speed.
It is worth noting that, in the past, such studies have typically been conducted at large particle gas pedals over 100 meters long, and these facilities are extremely rare, limiting the breadth and efficiency of the research. In contrast, laser-driven X-ray sources are only the size of a mobile home and are much cheaper to manufacture, making them more suitable for widespread use in industrial environments.
The XProLas research project has a budget of approximately €15 million and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
In this project, Tonsfast is utilizing its expertise in industrial laser manufacturing to provide cell materials and components for testing with partners such as BASF and Cellforce. In addition, companies such as Ushio Germany, Excillum, Bruker and Viscom are providing key expertise in beam source and system construction. The University of Hannover, as well as the Fraunhofer Institutes in Aachen and Jena, also provided important support for the project on an academic level.
In addition to the applications mentioned above, the XProLas project is working on the development of a compact, high-brightness X-ray source specifically designed for the analysis of cathode materials for electric vehicle batteries.
The cathode materials of electric vehicle batteries are critical to their overall performance and reliability, and the precise composition of these materials can only be accurately known through X-ray measurements.
The compact, laser-driven X-ray source will hopefully replace large research facilities in this field, thereby accelerating the development process for cathode material manufacturers.
In the X-ray generation process, the laser acts as an upstream beam source, creating a plasma by hitting a specific metal (such as gallium, indium, or tin) target with a laser pulse, which in turn releases very short-wavelength light such as X-rays.