Game-Changing Warm Isostatic Pressing Unlocks New Cell Designs and Fast-Tracks ASSB Commercialization
VÄSTERÅS, Sweden, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In a decisive move to fast-track the future of energy storage, Quintus Technologies, the global leader in high pressure solutions, has entered a high-impact research partnership with the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC) at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the University of California San Diego. This collaboration marks a pivotal advancement in the development of All-Solid-State Batteries (ASSBs)—a battery technology widely regarded as the cornerstone of safer, more powerful, and more sustainable energy systems.
"The increasing battery deployment to achieve a carbon-free economy comes with a rising concern for battery safety and performance," observes Y. Shirley Meng, Ph.D., Professor, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Adjunct Professor, University of California San Diego Nanoengineering Department; and Chief Scientist, Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) at Argonne National Laboratory. "While there is significant engineering progress in preventing battery-related fires, the next-generation all-solid-state batteries can mitigate such hazards by removing the flammable liquid in the closed system."
At the center of this pioneering initiative is Quintus's MIB 120 warm isostatic battery press, a press engineered specifically for battery innovation. Its ability to combine elevated temperatures with isostatic pressure makes it uniquely capable of solving the densification and structural challenges that limit current ASSB technologies. This capability unlocks new design possibilities for multilayer cells and accelerates the path from research to commercialization.
Using solid ceramics instead of liquid electrolytes in batteries is expected to increase safety, as well as energy density and charging capabilities, Prof. Meng explains. However, work with new layers of electrolyte materials indicates that the common uniaxial methods such as calendaring, or hot pressing, lead to insufficient electrode density and lower electrochemical performance. "Therefore, warm isostatic pressing is labeled a key technology in creating sufficient particle-to-particle contact," she says.
In comparison with other compressing technologies, isostatic pressing stands out as the most effective method to address challenges in solid-state battery development. Studies have shown that isostatic pressure is the only way to close the porosity in coated composite layers inside solid-state batteries effectively to a degree that creates peak electrochemical performance. This allows for uniform compression of small and large multilayer cells, preserving the internal layered structure of components, without creating local defects or inhomogeneities.
The MIB 120 battery press has been specifically designed to meet the needs of the research community, with its space-saving profile, ease of operation, and minimal need for additional infrastructure. It can reach pressures of 600 MPa (87,022 psi) and temperatures of 140° C (284° F), which are fully scalable parameters for industrial-scale presses from Quintus Technologies. The press is designed to have a very high temperature uniformity, which guarantees a high reproducibility of cells, under conditions that can be transferred to mass production once concepts have been proven.
Quintus's U.S. Battery Application Center was of special interest to Prof. Meng, offering access to the state-of-the-art facility in Columbus, OH, to conduct and optimize initial trials with the company's field experts.
"Additionally, the equipment is manufactured to the latest ASME pressure vessel code for high pressure operation, ensuring the operators' safety, which is paramount in my research group," she comments. "With this equipment-supplier/academic-research strategic partnership, we will be able to achieve greater advancements for all-solid-state batteries and move towards commercialization at a faster pace."
"Prof. Meng is one of the leading scientists in ASSB worldwide, and we are very happy to enter this collaborative partnership," states Johan Hjärne, CEO of Quintus Technologies. "This collaboration paves the way for Quintus Giga factory machinery with significantly higher productivity and multi-layer capability. Quintus battery presses offer a sustainable, reliable, and safe path to solve many of the issues seen with alternative production technologies. We invite the battery community to engage with Prof. Meng's team and Quintus battery processing experts to learn more."
LESC's decision to invest in the MIB 120 was made to further enhance the speed of development.
"The Quintus press acquisition, which is supported by the LG Energy Solution's Frontier Research Laboratory, is critical in enabling academic researchers to stack the multi-layer all-solid-state battery with controlled variables," Prof. Meng says. "With this advancement in cell assembly, we shall strive for critical, relevant, and impactful fundamental research for ASSBs. We appreciate the partnership from the Quintus team for this open innovation effort."
The press will be installed at the LESC facility in Chicago in July 2025.
About Quintus Technologies
Quintus Technologies is the global leader in high pressure technology. The company designs, manufactures, installs, and supports high pressure systems in three main areas: densification of advanced materials; sheet metal forming; and high pressure processing for food and beverage innovation, safety, and shelf life. Quintus has delivered approximately 1900 systems to customers within industries such as energy, medical implants, space, aerospace, automotive, and food processing. The company is headquartered in Västerås, Sweden, with a presence in 45 countries worldwide. For more information, visit quintustechnologies.com/.
About LESC
The goal of the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC), at the University of California San Diego Nanoengineering department and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, is to design and develop new functional nano-materials and nano-structures for advanced energy storage and conversion applications. Conversion of raw materials into usable energy and storage of the energy produced are common aspects of everyday life. The development of new materials to improve upon current capabilities is a key technological challenge of the 21st century. Advances will allow smaller more powerful batteries and will provide a greater ability to harness more sustainable energy sources. LESC research focuses on the direct integration of novel experimental techniques with ab initio computation methods for rational materials characterization and design. To learn more, go to https://lescmeng.ai/
Media Contact
Ed Williams, Quintus Technologies, 1 (614) 891-2732, [email protected], quintustechnologies.com
SOURCE Quintus Technologies
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