RWTH Aachen Kicks Off ProMeBa Project to Scale Multi-Layer Battery Electrodes

A research chair at RWTH Aachen University is leading an effort to move multi-layer battery electrodes from the laboratory toward industrial production. The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) is developing scalable manufacturing methods for multi-layer electrodes as part of the ProMeBa research project, which launched in June 2026 and is scheduled to run through May 2029 alongside partners from academia and industry.

The central idea behind multi-layer electrodes is that stacking layers with different material and structural properties can improve ion transport, mechanical stability and electrochemical performance at the same time. To explore that potential, the project is examining materials and layer architectures for both anodes and cathodes. Among the key variables under study are the number of layers, their thickness, and how the material composition changes from one layer to the next. PEM’s specific role is the development of multi-layer anodes and their laboratory characterization, which involves adjusting the formulations used for coating suspensions as well as the coating and drying conditions.

Once those fundamentals are established, the results are meant to be transferred to pilot-scale equipment. A modular coating module is being designed so that it can be integrated into existing production lines, a step the partners see as critical for real-world adoption. Under industrially relevant roll-to-roll conditions, the team will compare two-layer slot-die coating with multi-layer curtain coating, evaluating coating quality, process stability and scalability.

Quality assurance runs in parallel. An inline measurement system for continuously determining the viscosity of coating suspensions is being refined so that deviations can be detected early during manufacturing, helping to keep electrode quality reproducible. Electrochemical testing of electrodes and test cells is expected to shed light on the performance and durability of the multi-layer structures.

NETZSCH-Gerätebau is coordinating the project under the BMFTR funding announcement B@TS. Beyond the PEM and ISEA chairs at RWTH, the partner group includes the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), the iPAT institute at TU Braunschweig and 8inks Deutschland. If the approach proves out at pilot scale, multi-layer electrode architectures could offer battery manufacturers a route to higher-performance lithium-ion cells without abandoning established roll-to-roll production methods.