Rapid Fabrication of Solid State Batteries By Cold Spray Deposition

Solid-state batteries hold significant promise in the green energy transition, especially within the transportation sector, due to their enhanced capacity and improved safety features. Years of research in materials science have led to the development of high-capacity cathode and electrolyte materials; however, realizing their full potential remains challenging due to fabrication issues related to high processing costs and inadequate interfacial stability. We are exploring cold spray deposition as an alternative production method, which allows for rapid coating of extensive areas and straightforward multilayer fabrication using a single technique. Cold spray utilizes micron-scale particles entrained in supersonic gas to create direct impacts on substrates, resulting in dense deposits through particle deformation and interlocking. While cold spray is commonly employed for metal coatings and on-site repairs, its application for functional materials or oxides has been limited. Nonetheless, it is particularly well-suited for battery fabrication due to its exceptionally high deposition rate (>1 mm/s under the nozzle), its ability to bond dissimilar materials through the high kinetic energy of impact, and its capacity to coat non-planar surfaces. We found that achieving high-quality coatings is sensitive to cold spray conditions, particularly to particle size, and we were able to obtain high-density coatings under optimized conditions. In this presentation, we will share results from cold spray depositions, including fundamental investigations of particle impact and demonstrations of dry processing for NMC-based composite cathodes.