ALBATROSS: a robotised system for high-throughput electrolyte screening via automated electrolyte formulation, coin-cell fabrication, and electrochemical evaluation

Abstract

As battery technologies advance toward higher stability and energy density, the need for extensive cell-level testing across various component configurations becomes critical. To evaluate performance and understand the operating principles of batteries at the laboratory scale, the fabrication and evaluation of coin cells are essential processes. However, the conventional coin-cell assembly and testing processes require significant time and labor from researchers, posing challenges to high-throughput screening research. In this study, we introduce an Automated Li-ion BAttery Testing RObot SyStem (ALBATROSS), an automated system capable of electrolyte formulation, coin-cell assembly, and electrochemical evaluation. The system, integrated within an argon-filled glovebox, enables fully automated assembly and testing of up to 48 cells without researcher intervention. By incorporating a custom-designed robot gripper and 3D-printed structures optimized for precise cell handling, ALBATROSS achieved high assembly reproducibility, yielding a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.3% in discharge capacity and 6% in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements of bulk resistance for Li‖NCM811 half-cells. Owing to its high reproducibility and automation capability, ALBATROSS allows for the acquisition of high-quality coin-cell datasets, which are expected to accelerate the development of next-generation electrolytes.