Toward a Li-Ion Battery Ontology Covering Production and Material Structure

Abstract

An ontology for the structured storage, retrieval, and analysis of data on lithium-ion battery materials and electrode-to-cell production is presented. It provides a logical structure that is mapped onto a digital architecture and used to visualize, correlate, and make predictions in battery production, research, and development. Materials and processes are specified using a predetermined terminology; a chain of unit processes (steps) connects raw materials and products (items) of battery cell production. The ontology enables the attachment of analytical methods (characterization methods) to items. Workshops and interviews with experts in battery materials and production processes are conducted to ensure that the structure is conformable both for industrial-scale and laboratory-scale data generation and implementation. Raw materials and intermediate products are identified and defined for all steps to the final battery cell. Steps and items are defined based on current standard materials and process chains using terms that are in common use. Alternative structures and the connection of the ontology to other existing ontologies are discussed. The contribution provides a pragmatic, accessible way to unify the storage of materials-oriented lithium-ion battery production data. It aids the linkage of such data with domain knowledge and the automation of data analysis in production and research.