An Environmental and Technical Evaluation of Vacuum-Based Thin Film Technologies: Lithium Niobate Coated Cathode Active Material for Use in All-Solid-State Battery Cells

Research on All-Solid-State Batteries (ASSBs) currently focuses on the development of innovative materials, cell concepts, and production processes, aiming to achieve higher energy densities compared to other battery technologies. For example, it is been demonstrated that coating the Cathode Active Material (CAM) can enhance the rate capability and cycle life and reduce the interfacial resistance of an ASSB cell. For this reason, various techniques for coating the CAM have been explored, along with a variety of coating materials, including lithium niobate. Since ASSBs are still an emerging technology, more research is needed to determine how their production processes will perform from a technical, economic, and environmental perspective. In this paper, two innovative techniques for producing lithium niobate-coated CAMs are presented and evaluated. Particularly, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) techniques for coating NCM811 particles are investigated. The methodology for environmental and technical feasibility assessments at an early stage of development is further presented and discussed. Based on process-specific data and expert knowledge, an environmental assessment is conducted and further supported with a qualitative technical feasibility assessment. The results help guide early-stage decision-making regarding the identification of promising process routes with relatively low impacts.