Every rechargeable battery has a super-thin protective coating inside — only about 50 nanometres thick — that decides whether your battery lasts years or dies in months. Right now, checking whether that coating formed properly takes factories about two weeks per batch. NanoBat built measurement tools that use microwave-frequency signals to inspect that coating at the nanoscale, cutting that quality check from two weeks down to 10 minutes. Think of it like upgrading from a magnifying glass to a medical scanner for battery internals.
Battery manufacturers waste up to two weeks on the electrical formation and quality testing process for every production batch. Defective cells slip through because current inspection tools cannot see what happens at the nanoscale inside the battery's critical protective layer. This leads to wasted materials, safety risks including thermal runaway, and massive bottlenecks in gigafactory throughput.
The project built four main demonstrator systems: a GHz scanning microwave microscope with 20 nm resolution and 120 GHz range, an automated droplet cell screening setup performing 500 measurements per hour, an ultra-fast interferometric scanner covering 200x200 micrometre areas in under 20 seconds, and an electrochemical scanning setup for detecting conductivity defects in the battery's protective layer.
If you are a battery cell manufacturer losing weeks on the electrical formation process — this project developed a self-discharge testing method that cuts formation time from 2 weeks to 10 minutes. That means faster throughput, less work-in-progress inventory sitting on your floor, and lower energy costs for the formation step.
If you are an automotive OEM assembling battery packs and worrying about cell-level defects — this project demonstrated high-throughput incoming quality control capable of testing 30,000 cells per day. The result is 90% improved thermal runaway safety and reduced risk of costly field recalls.
If you are an instrumentation company looking for the next product line in energy storage testing — this project built GHz-frequency scanning microscopy demonstrators with 20 nanometre resolution operating up to 120 GHz. These are proven demonstrator setups ready for productization, led by Keysight Technologies as coordinator.
The project does not publish pricing for the developed instrumentation. However, the coordinator is Keysight Technologies, a major commercial test-and-measurement company, so commercialization pathways are realistic. Contact them for pricing on pilot deployments.
Yes — the objective explicitly targets high-throughput incoming quality control at automotive end users, with 30,000 cells tested per day. Several methods were tested in pilot-lines during the project.
IP is distributed across the 13-partner consortium led by Keysight Technologies (Austria). Licensing terms would be governed by the consortium agreement. Keysight, as a commercial instrumentation company, is the most likely route to access the technology.
The objective states it shortens the electrical formation process from 2 weeks to 10 minutes. Demonstrator setups were built and tested, including pilot-line validation. The project ran from 2020 to 2023 and is now closed.
The project focused on Li-ion batteries but explicitly mentions applicability to beyond-lithium batteries as well. The GHz measurement toolbox is designed to characterize the solid electrolyte interphase, which is relevant across multiple battery chemistries.
Based on the deliverable data: 20 nanometre lateral resolution, 1 nm vertical resolution, and 0.5 aF capacitive resolution, operating up to 120 GHz frequency range. A 200x200 micrometre area can be scanned in less than 20 seconds.
The tools directly support quality control processes that feed into battery safety certification. The 90% improvement in thermal runaway performance mentioned in the objective is directly relevant to meeting automotive battery safety standards.
The 13-partner consortium spans 7 European countries (AT, CH, DE, EL, ES, IT, PL) with a strong industry presence — 5 industrial partners including 3 SMEs, giving a 38% industry ratio. The coordinator is Keysight Technologies in Austria, one of the world's leading test-and-measurement companies, which signals serious commercial intent behind this research. The consortium also includes 4 universities and 3 research organizations providing the scientific backbone. This mix of a global instrumentation leader with specialized research groups and SMEs is well suited for taking lab-proven measurement techniques into commercial products.
Keysight Technologies GmbH, Austria — a major instrumentation company with established commercial channels. Contact via their corporate website or through SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction.
Want to explore how NanoBat's GHz testing tools could improve your battery production quality control? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the project team and help you evaluate fit for your manufacturing line.
