Battery materials
Fluorine-free binders and dry electrodes: Fraunhofer IWS and ITRI advance joint research
The FREDY project combines fluorine-free binders, active-material surface treatment and dry coating to explore materials and manufacturing together.
Connecting materials and processes
On May 6, 2026, Germany’s Fraunhofer IWS described its joint FREDY project with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). The project is developing fluorine-free binders for dry electrodes alongside active-material surface optimisation and manufacturing processes.
The announced project period runs from September 2025 to August 2028. The partners aim to enable industrial implementation within a few years after it ends; the release describes research and a future transfer goal.
Forming an electrode without a liquid phase
Compared with slurry coating followed by solvent evaporation, dry electrode manufacture centres on powder handling and forming. The electrode layer still needs uniformity, mechanical integrity and conductive pathways without a liquid phase.
Some dry-coating processes use polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binders. FREDY is developing fluorine-free alternatives while Fraunhofer IWS explores process compatibility using its DRYtraec technology.
From particle surfaces to equipment
The project also plans to use ITRI’s atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology to optimise active-material surfaces. Interactions among the particle surface, binder network and conductive components matter to a stable dry process.
Points to watch include powder dispersion, coating uniformity, bonding to the current collector and continuous equipment operation. Scale-up depends on the particular electrode system and process.