This proposal describes the third core project of the Graphene Flagship. It forms the fourth phase of the FET flagship and is characterized by a continued transition towards higher technology readiness levels, without jeopardizing our strong commitment to fundamental research. Compared to the second core project, this phase includes a substantial increase in the market-motivated technological spearhead projects, which account for about 30% of the overall budget. The broader fundamental and applied research themes are pursued by 15 work packages and supported by four work packages on innovation, industrialization, dissemination and management. The consortium that is involved in this project includes over 150 academic and industrial partners in over 20 European countries.

This project is the second in the series of EC-financed parts of the Graphene Flagship. The Graphene Flagship is a 10 year research and innovation endeavour with a total project cost of 1,000,000,000 euros, funded jointly by the European Commission and member states and associated countries. The first part of the Flagship was a 30-month Collaborative Project, Coordination and Support Action (CP-CSA) under the 7th framework program (2013-2016), while this and the following parts are implemented as Core Projects under the Horizon 2020 framework. The mission of the Graphene Flagship is to take graphene and related layered materials from a state of raw potential to a point where they can revolutionise multiple industries. This will bring a new dimension to future technology – a faster, thinner, stronger, flexible, and broadband revolution. Our program will put Europe firmly at the heart of the process, with a manifold return on the EU investment, both in terms of technological innovation and economic growth. To realise this vision, we have brought together a larger European consortium with about 150 partners in 23 countries. The partners represent academia, research institutes and industries, which work closely together in 15 technical work packages and five supporting work packages covering the entire value chain from materials to components and systems. As time progresses, the centre of gravity of the Flagship moves towards applications, which is reflected in the increasing importance of the higher - system - levels of the value chain. In this first core project the main focus is on components and initial system level tasks. The first core project is divided into 4 divisions, which in turn comprise 3 to 5 work packages on related topics. A fifth, external division acts as a link to the parts of the Flagship that are funded by the member states and associated countries, or by other funding sources. This creates a collaborative framework for the entire Flagship.

The widespread introduction of wearable devices is expected to be one of the major trends in the next one or two decades. First applications have already entered the market, like e.g. the smartwatch from Apple or various types of fitness trackers. However, the main booming period is still expected to happen in future. Health care application, internet of things as well as reshaping of the interaction between humans and electronic devices will be the main drivers for this development. Presently various obstacles still hinder the expected rapid development. Apart from legal topics, like e.g. data security, there are also technological bottlenecks. The energy supply to wearable devices is probably the most serious challenge among these technological bottlenecks. The Smart2Go project is exactly targeting this topic. The aim of the project is the creation of an autonomous energy-supply platform. Based on the results of the project it will be possible to use a wearable without caring about recharging over its entire lifetime. This aim will be achieved by the combination of a powerful battery with appropriate energy harvesting technologies. The performance of the energy supply platform will be demonstrated in two application cases. The special feature of Smart2Go is the standardization of the interfaces within the platform. This will enable manufacturers to easily adapt it to various different application after the end of the project. Additionally, the type of energy harvesting can be changed as well, further extending the variability of the platform. This concept is a major part of the expected impact of the project results. At the same time, this is the decisive point that distinguishes the project form various other activities in this area.

This proposal describes the third stage of the EC-funded part of the Graphene Flagship. It builds upon the results achieved in the ramp-up phase (2013 - 2016) and the first core project (2016 - 2018), and covers the period April 2018 - March 2020. The progress of the flagship follows the general plans set out in the Framework Partnership Agreement, and the second core project represents an additional step towards higher technology and manufacturing readiness levels. The Flagship is built upon the concept of value chains, one of which is along the axis of materials-components-systems; the ramp-up phase placed substantial resources on the development of materials production technologies, the first core project moved to emphasise components, and the second core project will move further towards integrating components in larger systems. This evolution is manifested, e.g., in the introduction of six market-motivated spearhead projects during the Core 2 project.

SENSIBAT’s overall objective is to develop a sensing technology for Li-ion batteries that measures in real-time the internal battery cell temperature, pressure (e.g. mechanical strain, gas evolution) conductivity and impedance (separately for the anode, cathode and electrolyte). The data and insights from these new sensing technologies will be used for the development of improved state estimator functions based on an improved understanding of how, where and when degradation and failure mechanisms occur. These functions will be included in the BMS. SENSIBAT’s approach consists of five steps: 1) develop the required battery cell sensor technology, 2) subsequently integrate this sensor technology into 1Ah and 5Ah pouch battery cells, 3) incorporate the 5 Ah cells in a 24V battery module with BMS, 4) use the data from the internal sensing technologies to develop robust and advanced state estimation functions. Several state (SOC/SOH/SOE/SOP) estimation algorithms will be improved, better forecasting algorithms and novel safety concepts (SOS) will be created, 5) carry out a cost-benefit analysis for the batteries with sensors as well as a recycling study of the cells. Improved understanding about the nature and timing of unwanted internal battery processes enables faster and more accurate control of the individual cells in a battery system during operation. More accurate control stretches the possibilities of fast charging and discharging, increases the usable battery capacity in different weather conditions and gives a detailed usage history. It allows for better battery state forecasting, resulting in a longer lifetime and more economical use during its 1st and 2nd life. Sophisticated lifetime prediction models enable improved (preventive) maintenance schemes. SENSIBAT’s technology that will be developed for all Li NMC battery types, can be transferred to serve other battery chemistry types.