Facilities & Capabilities
Contact for Prototyping
Interested in prototyping or scale-up of your energy storage technology?
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- Email the battery prototyping team at beacons@utdallas.edu and describe your prototyping or project needs.
- A BEACONS representative will contact you to discuss your project.
- We will work with you to design a project and will provide you with a quote for the project.
We look forward to working with you on your project. If you have any questions about our services or how we can help with your prototyping needs, please contact us at beacons@utdallas.edu.
15,000 SF dedicated to Battery Prototype and Commercialization Center
3,500 SF Dry Room ≤1% RH, including 400 SF Solid Electrolyte Room ≤0.25% RH
Extensive Materials characterization capabilities and other campus resources
Materials Production scale-up and commercialization capabilities
Workspace training and industry collaboration
Multiple, flexible production lines
Battery Prototype Facility FAQ
When did the Battery Prototype Facility open?
Summer 2025
What services are offered at the battery facility?
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- Rapid prototyping – pouch cells and 18650 cylindrical formats
- R&D expertise
- Materials analysis
- Grams to kilograms scaling of battery chemistries (future capability)
Does BEACONS sign NDAs?
Yes.
How many batteries can be produced in a week?
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- ~ 150 pouch cells of 80mm x 100mm size (this does not include formation and cycling); smaller sizes available with tooling acquisition
- ~ 250-cylinder format cells of the 18650 format (this does not include formation and cycling)
What format of batteries can you produce?
- Pouch cells of 80mm x 100mm size
- Up to 12mm thick – depends on form
- Smaller sizes available with tooling acquisition
- Typically 10-20 Ah – depends on form and chemistry
- Cylinder cells of the 18650 format
- Typically 2500 mAh for 18650 – depends on form and chemistry
- 21700 format is a future capability
How much does it cost to produce a battery?
Project based pricing model – we will have various options which will be listed on the website soon.
Who can I contact for more information about the BEACONS battery facility and battery prototyping options?
What testing/characterization is available?
Onsite – initial cycling to cover formation/aging
We will work with a partner site for additional testing such as the following:
- Battery abuse testing – crush, nail penetration, shock, drop, etc.
- Battery safety testing – extreme conditions, fire resistance, etc.
- Battery fire testing – external short circuit, overcharge and over-discharge, isolation resistance, continuity, etc.
Material Characterization and Analysis (UT Dallas)
Electron Microscopy
- High-Resolution TEM
- ARM200F equipped with EDS and EELS
- Focused Ion Beam
XRD Lab
- Rigaku SmartLab (Cu-Kα)
- Rigaku MiniFlex 6G (Cu-Kα)
Surface and Materials Characterization Facility (SMCF)
XPS Versa Probe II equipped with Ar gun and Ar cluster gun
MaSTeR
Spectroscopy:
- FT-IRs
- Raman
- Ellipsometry
- Cary UV-Vis near IR
- Fluoromax-4
- AFM
Vacuum:
- Several UHV systems coupled to FT-IR
- Incorporating plasma and e-beam capabilities
- Plasma CVD
- ALD
- Ion Energy Loss Spectroscopy
Characterization & Metrology
- DM05 Leica INM 200 Optical Microscope
- Zeiss SIGMA 500 VP Scanning Electron Microscope
- Oxford Asylum Research Jupiter XR AFM
- Woollam Ellipsometer
- DP03 Alessi 4-Point Probe
- DT05 Nanometrics Nanospec Film Thickness
- Rame-Hart Goniometer
Thin Film Deposition
- ME02 Cryo e-gun Evaporator
- ME03 Temescal e-gun Evaporator
- MS02 Hummer VI Sputter (for SEM samples)
- MS03 AJA 1500 Sputter
- MS04 AJA Orion Sputter
Facilities
