Which laboratories investigate battery failures (materials, electrolytes)?

A battery may show performance loss, capacity drift, abnormal heating, internal corrosion, contamination, a coating defect, or material non-conformity. For manufacturers, the challenge is to quickly link the observed symptom to its root cause: quality of raw materials, changes in active materials, degradation of electrolytes, presence of elemental impurities, interaction between components, or a process defect. A laboratory specialized in battery analysis must be able to intervene both in R&D and in production, for investigations on cells, components, coatings, powders, foils, collectors, and fractions from recycling or Battery Recycling.

Industrial requests often involve a composition drift, metallic contamination, a purity defect, batch heterogeneity, an unexpected deposit, or a variation in coating thickness. An analytical investigation makes it possible to compare the raw material, the finished component, and the altered areas in order to quantify the discrepancy and guide corrective actions. This approach is particularly useful for qualifying powders, salts, solvents, additives, binders, coatings, and functional interfaces.

Composition analysis rely on techniques suited to mineral and organic matrices: ICP and ICP-MS for the determination of major, minor, trace elements and heavy metals, ion chromatography for certain mineral species, as well as approaches dedicated to the development of tailor-made methods. These means make it possible to control purity, search for elemental impurities, track contaminants, and assess the conformity of raw materials, formulations, or recycling fractions.

The Filab laboratory supports manufacturers in complex analytical investigations through a multi-technique and comparative approach. This setup makes it possible to address battery failure issues by linking field observations, laboratory analysis and physico-chemical interpretation. The expertise covers elemental impurity analysis, corrosion studies, oxidation level assessment, detection of degradation precursors and characterization of nanoparticles or deposits.

To address battery failures, it is necessary to combine several analytical approaches: chemical characterization, surface analysis, morphological observation, structural study, and electrochemical testing. This approach makes it possible to assess composition, detect metallic traces or contaminants, characterize nanoparticles, identify oxidation or corrosion phenomena, and study the homogeneity of a coating. In addition, support in the development and validation of tailor-made analytical methods secures studies on complex matrices. Manufacturers can thus rely on a Materials Laboratory and a Metals Analysis Laboratory to obtain a complete understanding of degradation mechanisms.

Capacity loss, impedance increase, adhesion defects, corrosion phenomena, or surface degradation require a cross-reading of composition, structure, and electrochemical behavior. The goal is to distinguish a problem linked to the material, the electrolyte, surface treatment, storage, the environment, or the manufacturing process. This expertise is at the heart of a battery analysis laboratory approach focused on industrial decision-making.

The study of surface condition and degradation mechanisms may involve SEM-EDX or FEG-SEM for morphology and local composition, XPS for surface chemistry, XRD for crystal structure, optical microscopy for cross-sections and metallographic observations, as well as electrochemical tests such as OCV, LSV, and EIS. These tools are particularly useful for detecting coating defects, qualifying deposits, tracking oxidation, studying corrosion phenomena, and comparing initial and aged states. Depending on the need, the study can be complemented by the expertise of a Materials Laboratory.

The value of Filab support lies in defining a protocol tailored to your needs: raw material control, compliant/non-compliant comparison, post-incident investigation, materials qualification, chemical compatibility study, or support for recovery. The laboratory can also develop and validate specific analytical methods in order to secure interpretation on technical matrices. To go further into a trace metals or contamination issue, it is possible to rely on the Metals Analysis Laboratory.

To begin a study, it is necessary to specify the type of battery or component, the observed symptom, the usage history, storage or aging conditions, as well as the samples available for comparison. The laboratory can then define an analysis plan, select the relevant techniques, and prioritize failure hypotheses. The goal is to provide actionable results for R&D, quality, or production: identify a root cause, qualify a material, compare batches, validate a material, secure a process, guide a corrective action, or prepare a recycling or Battery Recovery approach.