Research & Development (R&D)

: Research & Development (R&D)
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Title
Sector
Description
Title
Etching & Deposition
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Etching and deposition processes shape and build thin-film structures in semiconductor and battery research by selectively removing or adding material with nanometer-scale precision. As a hard skill it requires understanding wet-chemical and dry plasma etch chemistry, masking and resist techniques, and the process parameters governing deposition rate, step coverage, and film stress. Battery researchers apply etching to prepare cross-sections for analysis and to pattern electrode features, and deposition to fabricate thin-film cell stacks, protective coatings, and current collector layers in next-generation solid-state and micro-battery devices.
Title
Periodic Table
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Mastery of the periodic table means understanding elemental properties — electron configuration, ionization energy, electronegativity, atomic radius, oxidation states, and periodic trends — and applying that knowledge to predict material behavior and design new compounds. As a hard skill it requires being able to reason from first principles about which elements will form stable oxides or sulfides, which will alloy with lithium, and which transition metals offer the right redox potential for a battery cathode. Battery researchers rely on this fluency to select cathode and anode chemistries, anticipate corrosion and compatibility issues, and interpret spectroscopic and electrochemical data by reference to known elemental behavior.
Title
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Inductively coupled plasma techniques — optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) — determine elemental concentrations across a wide dynamic range by atomizing samples in a high-temperature argon plasma and measuring emission or mass-to-charge signals. As a hard skill it requires correct sample digestion to achieve complete dissolution, matrix matching of calibration standards, and selection of internal standards and interference corrections appropriate to the matrix. Battery researchers apply ICP-OES and ICP-MS to quantify cathode stoichiometry, measure metal dissolution into electrolyte during cycling, and certify incoming raw material composition.
Title
Glove Box Procedures
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Glove box procedures govern safe and reproducible work inside inert-atmosphere enclosures that maintain moisture and oxygen below the parts-per-million levels required by air-sensitive battery materials and electrolytes. As a hard skill it requires purging and regenerating the gas recirculation system, checking and maintaining seals and gloves, and organizing the antechamber workflow to minimize atmospheric ingress during sample transfer. Battery researchers rely on glove boxes for lithium metal handling, electrolyte preparation, and cell assembly, where even brief air exposure would oxidize lithium anodes, decompose electrolyte salts, and invalidate experimental results.
Title
Focused Ion Beam (FIB)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Focused ion beam (FIB) instruments direct a tightly focused beam of gallium or other ions to mill, cut, and deposit material with nanometer precision, and are often combined with a scanning electron microscope in dual-beam systems. As a hard skill it requires selecting mill currents for bulk removal versus fine polishing, preparing site-specific TEM lamellae, and using gas-injection systems for platinum or carbon deposition. Battery researchers use FIB to prepare electron-transparent cross-sections of battery interfaces, remove material from specific regions of interest on cycled electrodes, and observe crack propagation and dendrite morphology at nanometer scale.
Title
Battery Cell Assembly & Testing
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Battery cell assembly and testing covers the lab- and pilot-scale work of building coin, pouch, and cylindrical cells and characterizing their performance, safety, and lifetime. The skill set spans electrode preparation, calendering, slitting, stacking or winding, electrolyte filling, formation cycling, and a battery of tests — capacity, rate capability, impedance, cycle life, thermal abuse — run on Arbin, Maccor, or BioLogic equipment. It is foundational to materials, cell, and pack R&D across EV, stationary storage, and defense applications.
Title
SigmaPlot
Sector
Computational
Description
SigmaPlot is the scientific-graphing package historically favored in life sciences and academic battery research — used to produce publication-grade figures of cycle life, Coulombic efficiency, and cell-aging curves. As a hard skill it requires fluency in non-linear regression model fitting, transform-based axis configuration (log-log Ragone plots, Arrhenius plots), template authoring, and the export discipline (vector formats, font embedding) that journals require. Research scientists apply it when characterizing a new electrolyte formulation's cycle stability, when fitting capacity-fade data to power-law or exponential decay models, and when generating figures for cell-development internal reports.
Title
Mechanical Properties & Testing
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Mechanical properties testing measures the response of materials to applied force, yielding data on tensile strength, elongation, hardness, fracture toughness, fatigue life, and creep — properties that determine whether battery cell cans, current collectors, separators, and structural pack components will survive manufacturing and service loads. As a hard skill it requires setting up and running tensile, compression, bend, and hardness tests per ASTM or ISO standards, selecting the correct load cell and grips, and interpreting stress-strain curves and failure modes. Battery researchers apply mechanical testing to qualify separator materials, evaluate calendered electrode cohesion, and characterize volume-change stresses in silicon anodes.
Title
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) passes a high-energy electron beam through an electron-transparent specimen and forms images or diffraction patterns that reveal atomic-scale crystal structure, defects, interfaces, and chemical composition via coupled EELS or EDX. As a hard skill it requires preparing specimens thin enough for electron transmission via FIB lamella or ion-milling, aligning the beam and selecting correct imaging conditions (bright-field, dark-field, HRTEM, HAADF-STEM), and interpreting lattice images and diffraction patterns against reference structures. Battery researchers apply TEM to resolve atomic-scale structural changes in cycled cathode particles, characterize SEI layer thickness and composition, and identify precipitated phases at grain boundaries in solid electrolytes.
Title
Contact Angle Measurements
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Contact angle measurement quantifies the wettability of a solid surface by placing a liquid droplet on it and measuring the angle formed at the three-phase contact line, yielding information about surface energy and hydrophilicity. As a hard skill it requires preparing clean, representative surfaces, using a goniometer or optical tensiometer correctly, and selecting the appropriate analysis method — sessile drop, advancing/receding — for the application. Battery researchers apply contact angle measurements to evaluate electrode and separator wettability by electrolyte, where poor wetting leads to incomplete pore filling and degraded rate performance.
Title
Cleaning Glassware
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Cleaning laboratory glassware is the foundational practice of removing chemical residues, biological contamination, and particulates from vessels, pipettes, and fittings to levels that will not interfere with subsequent experiments. As a hard skill it requires selecting the appropriate cleaning agent — detergent, acid wash, base bath, solvent rinse, or aqua regia — based on residue chemistry, executing the cleaning sequence safely, and verifying cleanliness before sensitive analyses. In battery and electrochemical R&D, residual metal ions or organic films on glassware introduce trace contamination that can shift measured potentials, poison electrolytes, and invalidate careful synthesis or characterization work.
Title
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Sector
Equipment Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing
Description
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are written, step-by-step instructions that define how to perform a specific laboratory task safely, reproducibly, and in compliance with regulatory or quality requirements. As a hard skill it requires writing SOPs clearly enough for a trained but unfamiliar operator to follow without ambiguity, incorporating safety precautions and equipment-specific details, and maintaining version control as procedures evolve. Battery R&D labs apply SOPs to instrument operation, sample preparation, and cell assembly, ensuring that experimental results are comparable across operators and time and that safety-critical steps — such as lithium metal handling and high-voltage cell formation — are never improvised.
Title
Microcalorimetry
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Microcalorimetry measures extremely small heat flows — nanowatts to microwatts — from slow reactions, mixing processes, binding events, or biological activity, providing thermodynamic and kinetic data inaccessible to conventional calorimetry. As a hard skill it requires understanding isothermal titration, heat-flow, or accelerating rate calorimetry modes, preparing samples free of bubbles and contaminants that generate spurious signals, and fitting data to binding or reaction models. Battery researchers apply microcalorimetry to measure parasitic heat generation rates in cells during low-rate cycling, quantify reaction enthalpies of electrolyte additives, and detect subtle self-discharge and degradation reactions invisible to standard electrochemical measurements.
Title
Intellectual Property (IP)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Intellectual property covers the legal protections — patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets — that turn ideas, brands, and know-how into defensible business assets. Strong programs combine invention disclosure pipelines, prior-art searching, freedom-to-operate analysis, and disciplined record-keeping with thoughtful filing and licensing strategy. In R&D-intensive sectors, IP is often the most valuable thing a company owns and is central to both offense and defense in the market.
Title
Chemical Synthesis
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Chemical synthesis in battery R&D encompasses the preparation of new active materials, electrolyte additives, and solid electrolytes through solution-phase, solid-state, sol-gel, hydrothermal, and co-precipitation routes. As a hard skill it requires selecting and scaling synthetic procedures, executing reactions under controlled atmosphere when air-sensitive precursors are involved, and purifying and characterizing intermediates and final products. Researchers apply synthesis skills to produce novel cathode materials, lithium-salt electrolytes, and coating reagents that cannot be sourced commercially and are essential to exploring next-generation battery chemistries.
Title
Elemental/Chemical Analysis
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Elemental and chemical analysis encompasses the suite of techniques — combustion analysis, ICP, AAS, XRF, EDX, ion chromatography — used to determine the elemental or molecular composition of a sample quantitatively. As a hard skill it requires selecting the right method for the matrix and concentration range, preparing certified reference standards, and applying the technique's calibration model correctly to convert raw instrument output into accurate concentration data. Battery R&D teams apply elemental analysis to verify cathode stoichiometry, certify incoming raw materials, track impurity levels in electrolytes, and close mass balances in recycling process development.
Title
Particle Size Distribution (PSD)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis measures the range and frequency of particle sizes in a powder or suspension using techniques such as laser diffraction, dynamic light scattering, sedimentation, or image analysis. As a hard skill it requires preparing representative, well-dispersed samples free of agglomerates, selecting the optical model and refractive indices correctly for laser diffraction, and interpreting D10, D50, D90, and span values in the context of the application. Battery researchers apply PSD measurement to characterize cathode and anode powders, where particle size affects tap density, electrode packing, rate capability, and slurry rheology during coating.
Title
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) grows ultrathin, conformal films one atomic monolayer at a time by alternating self-limiting surface reactions, enabling precise control of film thickness, composition, and uniformity on complex 3D structures. As a hard skill it requires selecting precursor chemistries and process temperatures, verifying growth per cycle with ellipsometry or X-ray reflectometry, and managing precursor handling and by-product removal in research or pilot reactors. Battery researchers apply ALD to deposit protective coatings on cathode particles and solid electrolytes, passivating surfaces that would otherwise react with liquid electrolytes and degrade cycle life.
Title
Laboratory Ovens & Environmental Chambers
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Laboratory ovens and environmental chambers provide controlled temperature, humidity, and atmosphere conditions for drying, curing, conditioning, and aging materials, electrodes, and battery cells. As a hard skill it requires setting and verifying temperature uniformity, understanding chamber load limits and soak time requirements, and programming multi-stage profiles for formation cycling thermal management or accelerated aging studies. Battery researchers use ovens to dry electrodes before cell assembly and environmental chambers to conduct accelerated calendar-aging experiments and evaluate cell performance across the operating temperature range.
Title
FTIR Spectroscopy
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measures the absorption of infrared light by molecular vibrations, producing a fingerprint spectrum that identifies functional groups and chemical bonds in a sample. As a hard skill it requires selecting the appropriate sampling accessory (ATR, transmission, diffuse reflectance), maintaining background and calibration standards, and interpreting complex spectra for mixtures and degradation products. Battery researchers apply FTIR to identify electrolyte decomposition products on electrode surfaces, monitor solid electrolyte interphase composition, and verify the chemical identity and purity of synthesized materials.
Title
X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measures the energy-dependent X-ray absorption of a target element near and above its absorption edge, providing element-specific information on oxidation state, coordination environment, and local atomic structure through the XANES and EXAFS regions. As a hard skill it requires preparing samples with correct thickness and homogeneity for transmission or fluorescence detection, collecting reference compounds for edge comparison and linear-combination fitting, and analyzing EXAFS with software packages such as Athena and Artemis. Battery researchers apply XAS operando to track transition-metal oxidation-state changes in cathodes and to characterize local structure around active elements in amorphous and nanocrystalline materials.
Title
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) records the mass of a sample as a function of temperature or time under a controlled atmosphere, detecting decomposition, oxidation, moisture loss, and volatilization events from the mass-loss profile and its derivatives. As a hard skill it requires selecting the appropriate gas atmosphere, calibrating the balance and temperature sensor with certified standards, and correlating mass-loss steps with derivative curves and complementary techniques such as DSC or evolved-gas mass spectrometry. Battery researchers apply TGA to determine organic binder content in electrodes, measure residual solvent after drying, characterize cathode thermal stability, and assess carbon content in active materials.
Title
X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry determines elemental composition by exciting a sample with X-rays and measuring the characteristic fluorescence energies emitted by each element, providing rapid, multi-element, largely non-destructive analysis of solids, powders, and liquids. As a hard skill it requires selecting wavelength-dispersive (WDXRF) or energy-dispersive (EDXRF) mode based on required resolution and throughput, preparing samples with consistent geometry and matrix, and applying fundamental-parameters or empirical calibrations for accurate quantitation. Battery researchers apply XRF to screen cathode powder stoichiometry, verify element ratios in synthesized materials, and perform incoming quality checks on active materials and current-collector foils without the sample digestion required by wet-chemical methods.
Title
Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS)
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) measures the energy lost by electrons as they pass through a thin specimen in a transmission electron microscope, revealing elemental composition, oxidation state, bonding, and electronic structure at near-atomic resolution. As a hard skill it requires preparing electron-transparent specimens, acquiring spectra with high signal-to-noise, and performing background subtraction, multiple-scattering correction, and quantitative analysis using reference cross-sections. Battery researchers apply EELS to probe lithiation-state gradients, transition-metal valence changes, and interfacial chemistry in cathodes and solid electrolytes at a spatial scale no other technique can match.
Title
PH Meter
Sector
Research and Development
Description
A pH meter measures hydrogen ion activity in a solution via a glass electrode whose potential varies with pH, providing an accurate reading of acidity or alkalinity in aqueous and near-aqueous systems. As a hard skill it requires calibrating with at least two certified buffer solutions that bracket the expected sample pH, conditioning and storing the electrode correctly, and applying temperature compensation and ionic strength corrections for accurate results. Battery researchers use pH measurement to characterize aqueous electrolyte and rinse solutions, monitor cathode precursor precipitation reactions where pH determines particle morphology and stoichiometry, and assess spent electrolyte and black mass leachate in recycling process development.
Title
Vacuum Pumps
Sector
Research and Development
Description
Vacuum pumps — rotary vane, turbomolecular, scroll, cryogenic, and ion pumps — remove gas from a system to achieve the pressures required by electron microscopes, thin-film deposition equipment, and glove-box regeneration cycles. As a hard skill it requires selecting the pump type and staging for the target pressure range, performing routine maintenance such as oil changes, trap cleaning, and rotor inspection, and troubleshooting leaks with residual gas analyzers or helium leak detectors. Battery researchers rely on vacuum systems for SEM and TEM operation, ALD and sputter deposition, and electrolyte degassing, where inadequate vacuum allows residual gases to contaminate samples, degrade film quality, and generate background signals in analytical instruments.
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