At the recent Volta Foundation Battery Forum: Accelerating Battery Innovation with Advanced Analytics, Tescan joined industry leaders to discuss how advanced microscopy technologies can drive innovation and scalability in lithium-ion battery manufacturing.
Tomas Samoril, Product Marketing Manager at Tescan, opened the session by highlighting Tescan’s long-term collaboration with Dragonfly Energy, an innovative U.S. manufacturer of advanced lithium battery systems. For nearly four years, Tescan and Dragonfly Energy have combined expertise in SEM, FIB-SEM, and micro-CT to define and optimize analytical workflows for battery research, development, and production.
In his talk, Tomas provided an overview of Tescan’s microscopy portfolio and its role in understanding the complex architecture of lithium-ion batteries, from particle-level composition to full-cell structures. He explained how advanced electron microscopy and X-ray microtomography can help address key industry challenges, including safety, lifespan, capacity, and charging efficiency.
These analytical workflows support the development of safer and longer-lasting batteries by enabling detailed multiscale imaging, compositional analysis, and process monitoring from R&D through production.
Following Tescan’s introduction, Danielle DeCapito and Kimberly Ortega from Dragonfly Energy presented how the company applies these advanced workflows in real-world battery manufacturing.
Danielle DeCapito, part of Dragonfly Energy’s R&D team specializing in materials characterization, outlined the company’s mission to enable sustainable, U.S.-based battery production through its patented dry electrode manufacturing process. She emphasized how this technology eliminates toxic solvents, reduces energy consumption by over 70%, and lowers production costs while maintaining high-quality electrode performance.
Kimberly Ortega, a researcher specializing in image analysis, then demonstrated how Dragonfly Energy uses Tescan’s imaging platforms including Tescan AMBER X FIB-SEM, Vega SEM, and UniTOM HR micro-CT to study porosity in dual-coated lithium-ion battery electrodes.
Through a combination of 2D SEM imaging, 3D FIB-SEM tomography, and X-ray micro-CT, her team analyzed internal and external porosity, revealing structural uniformity, coating consistency, and defect distribution. The use of machine learning-based segmentation further enhanced the accuracy and efficiency of this analysis.
Together, these methods provided a comprehensive view of electrode microstructure, helping to optimize electrode design and performance.
This presentation demonstrated how collaboration between instrument developers and battery manufacturers leads to better understanding and faster innovation. By integrating high-resolution imaging and data-driven analysis, Tescan and Dragonfly Energy are helping to shape the future of efficient, sustainable battery manufacturing.
To explore the complete discussion and see how Tescan and Dragonfly Energy are using advanced microscopy to accelerate lithium-ion battery innovation, watch the full recording from the Volta Foundation Battery Forum.
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