Better Protect Lithium Batteries and Testing Cells
Improve the electrochemical stability of lithium ion battery cathodes, cases and CR2032 button coin cells used in lithium battery testing and research by plating them with a high-purity aluminum coating. Electroplated aluminum’s unique combination of high purity, strong adhesion and pore-free structure provides better protection than other coating options.
Corrosion of the stainless steel cell hardware negatively impacts battery electrochemical stability. Corrosion contributes to electrolyte degradation and corrosion currents can lead to inaccurate coulombic efficiency measurements.
The surface of the aluminum plating is pure and consistent, facilitating experimentation, testing and characterization of battery materials. Among other exceptional mechanical properties, AlumiPlate 99.99% pure electroplated aluminum exceeds MIL-DTL-83488D requirements, a US government specification for high-purity aluminum coatings. It also creates a surface that is nearly contaminant free and is two orders of magnitude better than the minimum recommended aluminum current collector purity of 98%.
AlumiPlate has aluminum coated CR2032 battery coin cells available! Contact us for more information about pricing and availability, or learn more about electroplating your lithium battery and testing components from our technical team.
Benefits of High-Purity Electroplated Aluminum
Purity That Performs
High-purity electroplated aluminum is typically greater than 99.99% pure, providing optimal performance and longevity while improving the electrochemical stability and corrosion resistance of lithium batteries.
Structure
High-purity aluminum provides a fully dense, pore-free, and impassable microstructure that offers consistent protection across vital battery and test coin surfaces.
Thickness
A thin and uniform coating of 10 micrometers (0.0004”) of pure electroplated aluminum provides superior resistance to corrosion without introducing interference issues during coin cell fabrication (for example, crimping).
Adhesion
Excellent adhesion, greater than 75 MPa, results in electroplated aluminum coatings that will permanently protect the coated battery part. This ensures protection for vital components such as cathode current collectors and test coin cells. Electroplated aluminum coatings can pass all destructive and non-destructive adhesion tests per ASTM B-571.
Corrosion Resistance
AlumiPlate high-purity aluminum outperforms the criteria per ASTM-B117 accelerated corrosion testing. Higher corrosion resistance extends the life and integrity of cathode current collectors and lowers the possibility of dissolved contaminants degrading the battery’s electrolyte.
Applications for Lithium Batteries Featuring Electroplated Aluminum
Among its various benefits, electroplated aluminum’s corrosion resistance and electrochemical stability make it a high-quality coating choice for battery applications in renewable energy systems, electric vehicles and medical devices.
By reducing cathode contact degradation, electroplated aluminum improves cycle life, energy density and high-temperature performance. Surface engineering modifications of the plating can further enhance battery performance. The plating thickness and coverage can be customized based on the individual requirements of your application.
Aluminum plated CR2032 coin cells provide an ideal test bed for novel electrolytes that require more electrochemically stable and corrosion resistant battery materials. Electrochemical testing under aggressive conditions has shown coin cells with high-purity electroplated aluminum exhibit the lowest corrosion currents when compared to other coatings (see graph below).
