Engineered Carbon Blacks for Energy Storage Applications

Carbon Black is a critical component in lithium batteries, regardless of the specific technology employed, including Li-ion, solid-state, and post-Li. Despite the low ratio at which carbon black (CB) is added, it plays an indispensable role in the battery. To date, CB has not been a primary focus of LIB research. This perspective has shifted in light of the advancements in engineering that have reached a point where even inactive materials must be optimized to enhance key parameters in battery technology. This presentation will provide an overview of the underestimated, wide-ranging applications of CB, the crucial key attributes of CB for batteries, and their impact on the application field. This will also illustrate how the properties can be tailored to fulfill the different requirements of battery manufacturing steps. Examples of several CBs will be presented to demonstrate the possibilities of a customized production process.