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How to build the next generation of electric vehicle batteries: Three Industry Trends and DuPont's Answer

DuPont Company 2025-08-28 17:10:57

In China, the world's largest new energy vehicle market, power battery technology is undergoing unprecedented accelerated iteration. Cutting-edge directions such as fast charging technology, solid-state batteries, and sodium-ion batteries are gradually reaching the critical point of scaling from the laboratory to mass application. The industry's focus has shifted from solely pursuing energy density and range to a comprehensive enhancement of multi-dimensional performance.Charging speed, safety, repairability, and the full-chain low carbonization.

This development trend is by no means unique to China; it is the common direction of evolution for the global battery industry. At the European Battery Show in June 2025, over 1,000 companies from around the world will gather to focus on key issues such as high energy density, ultra-fast charging capabilities, full lifecycle environmental standards, and efficient recycling.

As a global innovation leader with a century of expertise in materials science, DuPont is actively establishing the next-generation battery technology ecosystem worldwide. At the European Battery Show, through...Full-size battery module prototype systemThe presentation showcased future-oriented battery system solutions, coveringThermal management, adhesives, design for maintainabilityIt demonstrates how to collaborate with clients to address these challenges through innovative solutions.

Trend 1:

Adhesives drive battery performance and thermal management upgrades.

Enhancing energy density and charging speed has become the core engine driving the performance leap of electric vehicles. This trend presents unprecedented challenges to the overall design of battery systems. With the application of high-energy materials such as high-nickel and silicon-carbon anodes, as well as the widespread adoption of ultra-fast charging technologies above 4C, the heat generated during frequent charging and discharging processes increases sharply, and internal stress changes become more intense. This significantly raises the difficulty of thermal management and increases the risks of structural fatigue and interface failure. Particularly in high-frequency fast-charging scenarios, the battery cells repeatedly expand and contract, and the battery system must withstand both high-temperature environments and continuous mechanical stress. This poses extremely stringent multiple challenges to the adhesive materials in ensuring structural stability between cells, uniform heat conduction, and long-term reliability.

DuPont BETAFORCE™ elastic structural adhesives utilize multifunctional integrated design.Integrating structure fixation, thermal management, and electrical conductivity into one, avoids the thermal resistance issues that may arise from stacking multiple materials, thereby enhancing thermal conduction efficiency. This integrated solution not only...Simplified the production process and reduced both cost and weight.It provides a reliable guarantee for the safe and stable operation of the battery under high-power fast charging and high energy density conditions.

Trend 2:

Battery Repairability and Production Efficiency in Parallel

In the early stages of the electric vehicle industry development, battery pack manufacturing faced a significant challenge: if defects such as cell misalignment, connection failures, or poor sealing occurred during the production assembly process, the entire battery pack often had to be scrapped due to the lack of effective detection and repair methods.

We have made innovative designs in the curing speed of adhesives based on the process requirements of battery assembly and adopted a "progressive curing" strategy. This approach allows for slow curing in the initial stages, providing ample operational windows for precise positioning, adjustments, and necessary rework on the production line. Once the assembly is fully confirmed to be error-free, a triggering mechanism (such as heating or specific environmental conditions) is used to rapidly enter the high-strength curing stage, ensuring the reliability of the final structure and the efficiency of the production cycle. This technology balances the dual demands of manufacturing flexibility and final performance, significantly reducing the risk of complete package scrapping due to assembly defects.

This "slow first, then fast" gradual solidification strategy,Not only does it provide higher process tolerance in the battery assembly process, but it also achieves reversible disassembly capability at the end of production.During the initial stage of curing, when problems are detected, the battery cells and structural components can be safely separated, effectively preventing the entire pack from being scrapped due to local defects. This significantly improves manufacturing yield and resource utilization. In addition, DuPont has proactively developed features that..."Adhesive layer with 'debonding on demand' functionality"By precisely applying external stimuli such as temperature, current, or laser, material interface separation can be triggered, paving a new path for the later maintenance of battery modules, replacement of faulty cells, and efficient recycling and disassembly. This strongly supports the sustainable management of the entire lifecycle of batteries.

At the same time, these innovative materials have been fully adapted to the processes of current mainstream automated gluing and assembly equipment, allowing for seamless integration without the need for large-scale production line modifications, while also taking into account...Stability and consistency required for high-paced production.Assist automotive companies in transitioning from "rigid manufacturing" to "intelligent and green manufacturing" without sacrificing production capacity efficiency.

Trend Three:

Low carbon and environmentally friendly material substitution

In the context of the global automotive industry's accelerated move towards carbon neutrality, power batteries, as the core of electrification, have environmental impacts that span the entire lifecycle from raw material extraction, production, and manufacturing to usage and recycling. Therefore, reducing carbon footprints, minimizing energy-intensive processes, promoting the use of renewable materials, and comprehensively eliminating potentially harmful chemicals (such as PFAS and other persistent pollutants) are becoming rigid requirements for the battery and key material supply chains. Moreover, automakers and battery manufacturers are setting stringent ESG goals, pressuring upstream material suppliers to achieve cleaner production processes and more transparent carbon data traceability while ensuring performance.

DuPont adheres to the sustainable development concept of "from source to loop."In the innovation of power battery materials, we fully practice environmental responsibility. The company not only implements strict carbon footprint tracking and management throughout the entire supply chain lifecycle, actively adopts renewable materials and low-carbon production processes to reduce overall environmental impact, but also is committed to promoting green alternatives to key hazardous substances. For example, DuPont is systematically...Gradually phase out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) widely used in traditional automobile manufacturing.These "forever chemicals" are subject to increasingly stringent global regulations due to their environmental persistence and potential health risks. During the initial stages of material development, DuPont implemented the "Safe-by-Design" principle, prioritizing the use of non-toxic, low-hazard green chemical components to avoid the use of substances of very high concern (SVHC) at the molecular level. Simultaneously, through material innovation, they optimized the process routes.Eliminate the need for solvent cleaning and surface chemical pretreatment required in traditional gluing processes, which are high-emission and high-risk operations.Not only has it significantly reduced the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the generation of industrial wastewater, but it has also effectively protected the occupational health and safety of front-line production employees, achieving a synergistic improvement in environmental performance, production efficiency, and social responsibility.

From Asia to Europe, from R&D laboratories to mass production lines, a journey of..."Performance Breakthrough" and "Green Transition"The dual-driven global battery technology revolution is in full swing, reshaping the foundational power of future mobility. DuPont is deeply collaborating with OEMs, battery manufacturers, and research institutions through an open innovation platform to jointly explore the diversified applications of material science in the electrification wave, helping customers achieve a breakthrough balance between performance, reliability, and sustainability.

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How to build the next generation of electric vehicle batteries: Three Industry Trends and DuPont's Answer

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