Robotised screening and characterisation for accelerated discovery of novel Lithium-ion battery electrolytes : Building a platform and proof of principle studies

A fast transition towards the use of clean and green energy sources requires accelerated discovery of new energy storage systems and devices. In this concept automation and robotics can play a key role. Here we present the development of a robotized platform, Poseidon, for the screening and discovery of new water-based electrolyte candidate systems for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) systems. We have successfully demonstrated the Poseidon screening and characterisation capabilities for electrolytic discovery, which includes a range of steps such as electrolyte formulation, Raman spectroscopic characterization, coin-cell mounting/disassembling and electro-chemical battery evaluation via an accelerated screening cycling procedure. A comparison with analogous manual laboratory experiments shows that relevant accuracy for robotized screening purposes has been estab-lished. Furthermore, the presented accelerated charge/discharge cycling procedure is shown to be adequate for screening purposes of the test system.