KLiB has developed a new system to categorize secondary electrochemical energy storage systems. This is used in BecoSearch to clearly categorize and search for projects, organizsations, and infrastructure. In order to find the right tags please use our flowchart!

  • Flow chart for the clear classification of a secondary, electrochemical energy storage device according to KLiB
  • Accompanying text to the scheme for the clear classification of secondary, electrochemical energy storage devices according to KLiB
  • Example classifications of various secondary batteries according to KLiB

Why do we need a new categorization system?

When categorizing more than 2,000 battery projects in BecoSearch – some of which deal with highly experimental new battery systems – it becomes increasingly apparent that there is no clear system for classifying the growing number of different battery types. There is no standard work that can be referred to, and there are often no clear definitions and delimitations for battery types, some of which are outdated.

For example, electrode materials are now used in lithium-ion batteries that store lithium ions via other mechanisms (insertion, conversion, alloy formation) than via classic intercalation, but these are not yet taken into account in definitions. If lithium metal anodes are used, lithium ions are no longer “intercalated” at all, but are deposited in amorphous structures. This leads to new challenges in research and development, new battery properties and new manufacturing processes, which is why it makes sense to assign such battery systems their own category. There is a trend among alternative battery systems to refer to batteries as metal-ion batteries, although these use metal anodes and sometimes cathodes in which the metal ions are not stored at all. Liquids are added to solid-state batteries, but they are still often referred to as ALL-solid-state batteries.

Clear taxonomies that are as simple and future-proof as possible are necessary to make large volumes of battery-relevant data such as information and results from scientific projects, literature and patents easy to search and find. These must be as well thought out, expandable and flexible as possible in order to be able to react quickly to innovations and changes without having to make costly adjustments to systems based on them. The categorizations must not only be used today. Data categorized today should also be retrievable in the future. If this is not the case, data that is keyworded today will have to be re-categorized at some point at great expense. Such categorizations are only possible with clear definitions of the individual battery types, which in turn form an important basis for standards, legal regulations and many other areas.

With the help of scientists from various disciplines, the KLiB has therefore developed an initial proposal for a clear categorization of secondary electrochemical batteries. The aim is to create a simple standard according to which secondary electrochemical energy storage devices can be clearly categorized into meaningful groups. It should be based as closely as possible on terms and definitions that are commonly used in science and industry and, if possible, only “intervene” where there are errors, ambiguities or similar. We try to update this standard continuously and make it freely accessible on the Internet in German and English. We would like to discuss our proposal with you and look forward to your criticism and suggestions.